Page 71 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
Ava followed her finger and spotted the subdued red shimmer surrounding the tower. "Then let's go!" She directed her thoughts to Draco."Do you know where Kilian is?"
"The dragon fighter has crossed the wall in the south. No one seems to have noticed him."
That was good news, though it further fueled her heartbeat. They needed to draw all attention to themselves quickly so their opponents wouldn't notice his presence."Do we have any other tricks up our sleeve?"
"I was hoping you'd ask that."Draco laughed in her head, and it sounded like an ominous rumble. Then he went into a dive and Ava's eyes widened as she clutched his scales. A scream escaped her and mingled with the rush of the wind. They were far too low. The mages could easily catch them.
"Trust me!"
"I'm trying!"
Draco swung out and hammered his tail against the wall. Stones broke and the structure crashed down. Countless mages ran screaming to the side, while others stood fearlessly upright and fired magic orbs at them. Draco turned away just in time, and as if by a miracle, he wasn't injured.
They gained altitude again, while Thalara prepared a similar attack elsewhere. Draco dove down like an arrow so that the assault would happen simultaneously.
The mages gathered their forces, erecting a protective shield over the complex that the fire dragon bounced off of, but Draco managed to strike an unprotected section of the wall with his tail, causing the next part to collapse.
Pursued by the mages' incantations, they spiraled upwards. A ball of lightning hissed past Ava, missing her by a hair's breadth. Startled, she whirled around, her eyes wide. In the center of the castle courtyard stood the mage she had fought in the arena.
Arthur.
His gaunt face was filled with hatred, his thin body tense, and his hands raised ready to attack. He was already forming the next energy ball between his palms and then hurled it at Ava. He launched the attacks in such rapid succession that Draco hadno choice but to dodge the magic spheres, preventing him from mounting any counteroffensive.
More than once, the attacks missed Ava by mere millimeters, but at least the mage was focused on her. Magg remained largely undisturbed. She and Thalara could attempt further attacks, but without Draco, they were less effective and no longer managed to penetrate the protective dome.
"Is Kilian in the building?"
"In the residential tower, yes."
"Then fly higher so we can regroup."
"Got it!"
They soared into the sky until Arthur's spells could no longer reach them. Magg and the fire dragon followed. "What's going on?"
"Kilian is in the main building."
"Then we should concentrate our attacks on the south side. They'll think we're attacking the main gate."
Ava nodded. Immediately, the dragons dove into a steep descent and bombarded the southern section of the wall. But the mages were prepared. Not only did they deflect all the fire salvos, but they also continued their attacks without interruption. The dragons constantly had to shoot upwards to avoid being hit.
"What should we do now?" Ava shouted to Magg as they once again narrowly escaped an attack and fled into the sky.
The cadet was intimidated by nothing. Determinedly, she clenched her fist. It was a waste that she wasn't already fighting alongside the dragon warriors against the mages. "We keep going until Kilian and Lilly have left the building!"
"Even though the mages are getting stronger?" At least that was how it felt to Ava. Maybe their opponents just knew by now how to drive them away. How long would it take before they hit the dragons with their magical energy balls, or individual magesretreated because the others could fend off the attack alone? The fewer needed in the courtyard for defense, the more mages could pose a danger to Kilian and Lilly.
Ava clenched her fists. "We need to risk bigger advances, or we won't attract enough attention!"
"And Elora won't come out, but will guard Lilly herself."
They just needed one good idea. She let her gaze wander over the walls, towers, and buildings. The residential tower in the center served as Elora's headquarters, but Lilly and Kilian were in there, so they had to refrain from attacking it.
What alternative did they have?
Magg pointed to a mountain peak that rose near the castle. "How about we make the surrounding mountains collapse?"
"Heavens, no! Kilian and Lilly could be buried under the rubble!"
