Page 46 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
Determined, she pushed his arms away and wriggled out of his grip. She spun around lightning-fast. "I'm not helpless! And I will save the dragon world!"
A smirk flitted across his lips. Was he just playing with her? But in the next moment, his expression became deadly serious. "Then stop with the weak maneuvers and attack me already!"
She was overcome with emotion, which left her with only one choice: Either she would touch him right now or she would channel her pent-up emotions into an attack. She didn't need to ask anyone for advice to make the right decision. She raised her hand, let out a battle cry, and leaped at him.
He effortlessly blocked her.
Instinctively, she imitated Magg's technique, ducking under his hand and launching her next assault. Again, he deflected her with ease, which only spurred her on more. She circled him, feigned a retreat, unexpectedly lunged at him, and almost caughthim on the shoulder. But he seemed to always know what she was planning.
Had he studied every fighting technique there was?
Long after the sun had risen and there were drops of sweat on Ava's forehead, he disarmed her with two effortless strikes, but didn't pull her close again. Not the least bit out of breath, without even a single bead of sweat on his temples, he calmly pointed to the daggers in the sand.
"Pick them up."
She panted, wiped her forehead with her forearm, and bent down to retrieve the weapons. As she straightened up, he stepped right next to her. She backed away, expecting a surprise attack that would highlight her carelessness, but he simply pointed at her weapons.
"I want to show you how to hold them so your opponent can't knock them out of your hand."
"Okay." She swallowed and nodded, unsure if her voice sounded breathless because of his proximity or because of the intense training.
He positioned himself much too close behind her and took her right hand in his, stroking her fingers with the other. "You need to change the angle you hold the dagger at. Just like this." He pushed the handle forward a bit. "When you aim, you mustn't think about your technique, but focus all your attention on your target. The weapon flies where you look."
She just nodded, fully aware that she hadn't thrown the daggers yet.
He looked directly at her, as if reading her thoughts. "When you aim, you must want to hit."
"But I don't want to hurt you."
"I know, that's why from now on you'll be fighting against Magg again."
On cue, the blonde Amazon came running. She didn't look thrilled, probably because it didn't help her to train with someone weaker.
"Hey."
Surprised, Ava raised an eyebrow. Was that a normal greeting?
"Hello." After all, she didn't want to stand in the way of a future friendship. But judging by Magg's distant expression, they wouldn't be braiding each other's hair any time soon.
"Fight fair!" With those words, Kilian stepped back two paces and crossed his arms over his chest. She wasn't sure if it was better to be constantly observed by him or to fight directly against him. She had to be careful and focus her attention on Magg instead of letting his gaze throw her off balance.
But Magg could be relied upon in this regard. She immediately sensed Ava's unease and launched into an attack, which Ava deflected at the last moment.
"Hold your forearm diagonally in front of your face, Ava!" Kilian practically barked the order—all that was missing was a whistle.
Magg had already started her next advance, which Ava ducked under, but her training partner had anticipated this and struck her on the shoulder blade with the handle of the dagger. The blow was so hard that there was a crack and Ava fell to the ground.
"Stay fair, Magg!"
She innocently raised her hands. "I thought she had to beat Elora."
Ava gritted her teeth and jumped to her feet. She hadn't come this far, hadn't crossed the border and endured the running and the battling of her inner demons just so she could writhe in the dirt before Magg. And she would no longer be defenseless. Nolonger in need of protection. But independent! Strong! Ready to fight!
With a cry, she charged at Magg and forced her to her knees, but Magg quickly rolled to the side and thrust her dagger towards Ava's ribs. She jumped back, so the blow missed its full impact, and then she struck Magg's wrist with the edge of her hand, causing the dagger to slip from her grasp. But Magg deftly caught it before it landed in the sand.
"How interesting. So you need a testosterone-driven spectator to push yourself beyond your limits. But what will you do when the mighty dragon leader isn't standing on the sidelines undressing you with his eyes?"
She said it quietly so Kilian wouldn't hear.
