Page 72 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
The smile Magg gave Ava looked dangerous. "Do you really think Elora would allow her headquarters to be destroyed by two dragons? We'll lure her out by doing that, and Kilian will have a clear path!"
"That sounds crazy!"
"Do you have a better idea?"
No, damn it, she couldn't think of an alternative.
"What do you think, Draco?"
"Risky, as Magg usually is, but it could work."
"Could?"
"Could!"
"What does Thalara say about it? Surely she won't want to put her bound rider in danger!"
"Probably, but we're in command right now."
Because Kilian wasn't there...
"Alright, let's try it!"
Magg gave her a thumbs up, Draco raced towards the mountain peaks, and Thalara followed them, roaring. Theystruck the rocks with their tails until the first masses of stone broke loose. The boulders rolled down the mountain and would hit the castle directly.
The mages strengthened the protective shield, and for the first time this pleased Ava. This way, Lilly and Kilian weren't in danger of being crushed by the stone masses. Again and again, the dragons hurled their tails like clubs against the rock peaks, causing more and more pieces of rock to break loose. A veritable rain of boulders began, until suddenly the main gate of the central building was flung open and Elora stepped out.
She had tied her long brown hair into a high ponytail that hung down past her shoulders and accentuated her high cheekbones. She wore a long dark cloak over a red, low-cut leather corset and tight pants with boots, which emphasized her slender figure. She looked ready for battle—had she been expecting them? Probably. After all, she hadn't kidnapped Lilly without reason.
She raised her hands, looked at Ava with hatred, and enlarged the protective dome that spanned the castle complex.
Not a single boulder penetrated the hemisphere that shimmered red. Not one touched the castle courtyard or the wall sections. Instead, they rolled down the slope next to the complex, and a dense cloud of dust rose from the gorge.
Visibility worsened.
The dragons continued to strike the mountain peaks with their tails, but no matter how many boulders fell towards the castle, Elora deflected them all. Like the mages during the previous attacks, she seemed to grow stronger under the hail of stones, called her allies to her, Arthur foremost among them, and instructed them, after which her followers could maintain the dome without her.
She threw Ava an enraged look, turned on her heel, and strode back into the main building.
Ava's throat felt tight. How was she ever going to defeat this woman?"Where's Kilian?"
"Still inside."
Damn it.
"Has he found Lilly yet?"
Thalara let out a terrifying roar and fired towards the castle. Ava watched in horror."What happened?"
"The mages have discovered him."
No.
Draco chased after the fire dragon, attacking the protective shield and the protruding wall sections together, but their enemies were superior. They fired one magical attack after another, causing the dragons to zigzag through the sky. At the last moment, Thalara managed to dodge a magic ball, but she turned so quickly in the air that Magg lost her grip and fell.
"No!" Ava rushed after her on Draco, but Magg had already broken through the protective shield, which slowed her fall until she hit the ground. The mages surrounded her as if they had anticipated her fall, shielding her from Ava's view.
"I need to get down there!"
