Page 27 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
Once again, she saw the man who had been sweeping behind the stands. He didn't set aside his broom to go to the canteen, seeming rather caught up in his own world as he swept and swept, even though it hardly made any difference. Perhaps he was a lost soul being cared for by Master Clark.
As she entered the dining hall, her legs ached. She was tired as she looked around. Her fellow students didn't wave her over, but kept their heads bent over their bowls. This suited her fine, as it allowed her to sit at the other end with her stew and eat in peace. Every time someone passed by, she looked up, but neither Lilly nor Markus appeared. Maybe they had already eaten or would eat later.
She hungrily shoveled the vegetables and meat into her mouth and got a second helping. When she was full, she stretched out her legs and rested her arms on the table. She wouldn't go running again today. She was exhausted. Tired, sherubbed her face until she heard the sound of footsteps. When she looked up, Ralph was standing next to her seat. His grin communicated a mixture of friendliness and amusement.
"Hey Ava, glad to run into you."
Was that supposed to be a pun?
"Hi. You too. I'm exhausted. Do you have any idea where the Master is?"
"I do, but it won't do you any good. You won't see him again until he wants you to."
Groaning, she pulled the hair tie out of her hair, letting the strands fall far over her shoulders. "Would you be willing to teach me a few tricks until he starts training me? I'm in a bit of a hurry."
Ralph laughed. "Master Clark has already started training you."
She shook her head, not understanding. "He hasn't. He just taught me a lesson last night and told me I had to run."
"What for?"
She certainly wasn't going to discuss that with him.
"You're supposed to conquer your inner demons, am I right?"
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Is this a standard program for new students?"
"Of course. The process is crucial for you to reach your full potential. Keep running, don't stop—day and night if necessary."
"But I've made peace with my demons."
He leaned forward. "You're not supposed to make peace with them, you're supposed to overcome them." He winked at her and sauntered off as if he had just asked her out on a date.
She watched him with her mouth open. Watched as he left the dining room, even though he had arrived later than her—and was probably heading straight back to the arena. The other students were also getting up and following him, includingMagg, whose steps were so firm it was as if the floorboards were her bitter arch-enemies.
Ava was a loner, so peer pressure didn't work on her. Usually. But this wasn't about doing something just because everyone else was doing it. This was about learning to fight. About acknowledging the determination and drive with which the other combat students approached their training. Ultimately, this got her feeling that she needed to take the training just as seriously.
She was the guardian. The prophesied woman from another world who had what it took to defeat the most powerful living mage. The mere thought of facing Elora again made her break out in a cold sweat. The mere thought of meeting Rob again and not being prepared made her knees weak. And the mere thought of having to fight for her life again overwhelmed her with a weakness that made it all too clear why she had wanted to learn to fight.
Lilly trusted Master Clark. These five very fit, very strong, and very ambitious combat students trusted him as well, and he had trained the dragon fighters in the past. Lynn also thought highly of him, even though she didn't fight but preferred mental training.
She sighed heavily, then pushed the dishes onto the tray and put it in the rack next to the kitchen. She looked around the room one last time, hoping just a tiny bit that Marcus, Lilly, or anyone else would show up and stop her from going out into the heat again to start jogging again, but no one came. So she did what she had come there to do. She was letting Master Clark train her, even if that evidently meant running aimlessly around the area.
Chapter 13
Time went by, and Ava would rise daily just before dawn. She regularly reminded herself why she had begun training with Master Clark and therefore took it seriously. Although she hadn't encountered him again, this didn't dampen her determination.
She would have breakfast with the other combat students—except for Magg, who was the first on the training field in the morning and the last to leave in the evening because she trained late into the night—and kept her distance from them for the rest of the day to run.
During breakfast, she would talk with Ralph, but only briefly, as he constantly encouraged her to focus on herself. At lunch, he would just nod to her and sit with the others. She enjoyed dinner with Lilly and Marcus and tended to her wounds. The blisters on her feet had blisters, and her leg muscles were so cramped that she had to massage them daily just to be able to stand up after eating.
Everything hurt.
Lynn joined them for dinner, which Lilly did not like at all. But the lessons seemed to be good for her, as she looked happy and lively. Her cheeks were becoming rounder from regularsleep and ample food, and the hunted expression in her eyes was visibly disappearing with each passing day.
"How long do you plan to keep running around?" Marcus asked over his plate of steamed vegetables and rice. "What happens if word gets out that you're here? If the mages discover you?"
"I'm staying." Ava didn't say more, as this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation. Somehow, he reminded her of Aunt Helen. To change the subject, she nudged Lilly in the side. "So? How are the lessons going?"
