Page 42 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
"Is Elora with them?"
"No."
"We need to warn the others!"She couldn't very well let her friends and the other inhabitants sleep. Who knew what the mages were planning? She rushed to the door and yanked itopen. Marcus had been sitting on the bare floor, leaning against the door, and fell into the room. Surprised, he jumped up.
"What's going on?"
"Were you sleeping in front of my room?"
"Keeping watch, not sleeping. So? What's happening?"
"The mages are here."
"I knew it." He angrily clenched his fists and made a decision within milliseconds. "We need to get you out of here! I know the forest well. Draco can fly us there, and we'll hide. No one will find us."
Ava shook her head. "We need to warn the others!" But before she could rush into the corridor, Marcus held her back by the arm.
"No! Maybe they're in cahoots with them."
"I don't believe that. I have to at least tell Lilly and Lynn. The cadets can defend themselves, but those two can't. They should barricade themselves."
Lilly came storming into the hallway, not at all disheveled, as if she, like Marcus, had been expecting an attack. She was wearing combat gear. Where she had found it was the big question. Confidently, she put her hands on her hips. "Me, hide? You'll be waiting a long time for that."
Ava looked at Marcus. "Get her to safety!"
He clenched his jaw. "But I have to?—"
Ava grabbed him by the collar and looked at him intently. "Get her and Lynn to safety! Quickly!"
He exhaled, nodded, and grabbed Lilly. She fought back with hands and feet.
"Hey, let me go! I want to fight!"
"You'll help us best by staying safe!"
The little one couldn't escape Marcus, no matter how wildly she squirmed. She looked pleadingly at Ava. "You know I can help!"
She knew what Lilly was alluding to, but her magical powers were unpredictable, and the girl was too young to be drawn into the fights. Ava had to be careful that she didn't sneak between the lines anyway. So she put her hands together pleadingly. "Help me by protecting Marcus and Lynn. They can't defend themselves."
Lilly clenched her fists, her entire body tensed, but then she nodded and ran off with Marcus. Ava ran back to her room, where Draco was standing by the window, ready to fly.
"We need to get outside immediately."He tried to open the window but couldn't manage it with his huge feet.
"But the mages are outside!"
"Yes, but you need me, so I'm growing. Quickly."
His body tensed as if his skin would burst at any moment, and his head swelled while his tail expanded in width and length.
Ava flung open the window, and then he jumped out and spread his wings. Holding her breath, she leaned over the edge and looked down, where he landed halfway to the arena and grew and grew. She quickly turned around and raced through the hallway down the stairs to the outside. When she reached him, she stopped abruptly and her mouth dropped open.
Her little dragon, not even two weeks old and lying in her bed just three minutes ago, was bigger than all the surrounding buildings. How had Lynn been able to pat his head just a few hours ago?
His feet were huge, his body larger than a single-family house, and his scales shone purple, glowing as if a fire burned within him that would destroy anyone who stood in his way. He had to curl his long, spike-covered tail to avoid tearing down the entire grandstand.
The grandstand!
Ava ran to the weapons cabinet and got two daggers. She didn't know if the blades would help her against the mages,but they were better than nothing. She wrapped the Isip stone around the handle of one dagger so she could deflect magical attacks.
