Ava cursed and slammed her fist against the door. Her dry throat begged her to stay quiet, so she turned around, leaned against the door, and slid down to the floor. She sat there, listening to the darkness, forced to wait. Automatically, thoughts rained down on her like fat drops on a rainy day, paired with memories of the experiences of the past few days.
The first thing that came to mind brought tears to her eyes. Kilian had said he had to marry the princess.A relationship between the two of them was out of the question.
Now there was a tightness in her throat that overshadowed her thirst. Her chest constricted. How could she have scrapped her resolution not to let any man get close to her in such a short period of time? She barely knew him, and yet her heart was in such a sorry state just because she couldn't have a relationship with him. She wasn't allowed to.
Inevitably, she remembered how she had flown through the starry sky with him. How he had sat behind her and placed a hand on her side. How she had felt his warmth as well as his muscular chest against her back. The desire to lean back and snuggle against him. His scent had enveloped her as if he had been using the strongest perfume ever concocted.
She rummaged in her pocket and found two stones: the milky one she had collected in the theater square, and the white one from the entrance to the dragon's cave, when she had looked at the stars with Kilian. She ran her fingers over the cold surface and in her mind she was sitting again next to Kilian on the rocky ground, feeling his arm, which he had propped up behind her, and sensing the warmth, the closeness he radiated.
She shouldn't be thinking about him, but at this moment, when she didn't know what Elora had in store for her and her life was hanging by a thread, she imagined how his lips would feel on hers. If only they could have kissed just once. Just to know what it was like. Just to... have experienced it.
Tears gathered in her eyes. She let a single one fall. Just one. This one tear should be a symbol that she was closing the matter. Putting a check mark next to it. And so she did.
Exhaling loudly, she stretched out her legs and pushed aside the thought of the dragon fighter. Instead, she thought about the good things that had happened to her in this magical world. About Lilly, about the little dragon, and about Marcus, who was a friend. She would return to them. She would not die in this dungeon, but find a way out. Even though she didn't know how to escape a sorceress, she would get away. She swore it to herself!
Chapter 27
She didn't get a wink of sleep for the rest of the night. Although she had barely slept in the past few days, she was unable to relax. She listened for every sound and watched for the faintest glimmer of light, hoping to see daybreak. But it didn't come. Her cell was too isolated—either it was underground or in the innermost core of a large building.
Her thirst became overwhelming, which was why she refrained from pounding on the door or making noise. She had to conserve her strength so she could stay on her feet when they finally came for her. Finally? Part of her feared facing the dangerous sorceress, while another part couldn't wait, because then she'd get out of this cell.
As soon as she heard boot steps, she stood up and grasped the bars. The steps were slow and leisurely, as if the person had all the time in the world. Although she was exhausted and a slight dizziness had overcome her, she recognized him immediately. It was the same man as the night before: light eyes, short black curls, dark clothing. He held a cup in his hand.
He narrowed his eyes and studied her, then extended the clay vessel through the bars.
Ava couldn't utter a word, her throat was so parched. She wanted to gulp down the water on the spot, but she reminded herself to be cautious and smelled it first. Since no unpleasant odor reached her nose, she downed it in one go. Immediately her body came to life, strength returned to her limbs, and the dizziness subsided. It felt as if the guard had administered a miracle elixir.
As she lowered the cup, she looked him straight in the eye. "Thank you."
He shrugged his broad shoulders. "You kept your end of the bargain, so I'm keeping my promise."
She felt a glimmer of hope. He sounded reasonable, honorable, righteous. If she could appeal to his sense of reason, maybe he would help her escape.
"Listen, I don't know what the sorceress wants from me, but I have nothing against you. I need to get back to the others, there's a little girl waiting for me who's all alone."
His eyes narrowed. "And what will you do with your allies? Support the king who has our families on his conscience!" He turned on his heel and walked away.
"I'm not even on the king's side! Wait!" She rattled the bars, but he didn't turn around again.
"Damn it!" She hit the door.
Once again, she had to wait. At least her thirst was somewhat quenched. Deep in thought, she paced back and forth in the cell. She was filled with restlessness, a sense that she needed to prepare herself. But how could she prepare for an encounter with a sorceress? She didn't even have a weapon to defend herself against a normal fighter.
At some point she heard boot steps again, but this time there were several and the steps were more powerful and faster. Three armed men appeared in the corridor in front of her cell, their expressions unapproachable, their bodies hardened. Apparently, it wasn't enough for them to possess magical powers; they also trained for close combat.
Ava tried to look them in the eyes to establish an emotional connection. Then it would be harder for them to kill her. But the warriors avoided her gaze.
"Who are you?"
"Quiet! We're taking you to the Magistra now. You will behave. Only speak when she asks you something, and follow every order."
She leaned against the bars. "Or else?"
One of the guards looked up. She thought she had won, but his ugly grin and the distance in his eyes indicated otherwise. "If you really want to find out, we're in for a show. Go ahead, provoke our Magistra." With those words, he unlocked the prison cell and approached her.
She glanced around quickly. Running away was probably pointless. Better to play along for now and look discreetly for a chance to escape. Hesitantly, she left the cell and surveyed the narrow corridor. As she'd feared, it offered no escape route. There was no furniture she could use as a weapon. On both sides were countless doors with small, barred windows that suggested they were more prison cells.
One of the guards watched her. "Don't even try it."
