Page 17 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
"Finally! The dragon guardian accepts her destiny and will change the course of things! I knew you had it in you, Ava!" She jumped up and stretched her hands towards the sky like a superhero about to take flight.
Meanwhile, Marcus's eyes widened, and he looked unusually green around the gills. "You want to learn how to fight? What for? I'll protect you."
She knew he meant it, yet he radiated such gentleness that she wouldn't have accepted his offer even if she hadn't wanted to take action herself. He shouldn't give up his convictions for her.
"That's nice of you, but I need to learn to fight for myself. In the last twenty-four hours, I've been helpless multiple timesbecause I didn't know how to defend myself. That will never happen to me again!"
"Those were coincidences. You were alone. Now we're together. I'll take you to my people, our people, Ava. You know you're descended from the Old Folk like me!" He reached out his hand to her again, but she crossed her arms in front of her body before he could grab her.
"I don't know who I'm descended from, but I'll find out. However, the first thing I need to do is learn how to fight. My plan is set, and I won't be dissuaded from it."
"How do you plan to do that?" Marcus ran his hands through his brown curls, apparently at his wits' end.
Lilly grinned broadly at Ava. "I know who can help us."
The little one could always be counted on.
"Do you know someone who would train me?"
The girl raised her hands as if to clarify an important point. "I don't know just anyone, Ava. I know the best!"
Agitated, Marcus raised his finger as if he were the only one in his right mind. "Don't start with your personal hero again. If we look for Kilian, Rob will inevitably find us too."
"I'm not talking about Kilian."
Amused, Ava raised an eyebrow. "I thought Kilian was the strongest dragon fighter?"
A sugary sweet smile spread across Lilly's thin lips. "He is, but I'm still not talking about him. I won't reveal any more. You'll see tomorrow. I'll lead you to the perfect trainer, Ava."
Marcus shook his head adamantly. "I don't think this is a good idea. We need to go to my people, our people! There I can protect you, Ava. And you can stay there too, Lilly. We are very hospitable."
"As long as there's no dragon fighter at the door competing for your great love, you mean." The girl grinned shamelessly.
Ava wouldn't be deterred from her plan. "I'm going with Lilly, and now I'm going to sleep for a while. I'll relieve you for watch duty in five hours. Good night." With those words, she retreated into the cave, unwilling to continue the discussion.
Marcus had demonstrated to her how well he could keep an eye on the forest with all his senses. She trusted him, and not just because he prioritized her protection above all else. But she wanted to be fit for the next day, rested and strong. She needed her strength.
How truly exhausted she was became apparent not ten seconds later when she lay down in the back area of the cave. For although she was curious about who Lilly would take her to tomorrow, and the fear of her opponents held her heart firmly in its grip, she fell asleep on the spot.
A cracking sound made her start. She listened tensely into the darkness. There it was again. A twig snapped. Alarmed, she jumped up.
Lilly was lying curled up like a cat on the moss bed and sleeping, while Marcus guarded the cave. He sat calmly cross-legged on the bare ground, gazing thoughtfully into the forest.
She crouched down vigilantly next to him and peered into the forest. "What was that?"
"A deer that's particularly early to rise." He said it with such conviction that Ava didn't doubt it for a second.
"I slept longer than we agreed." She rubbed her eyes. "You can lie down now." She sat cross-legged and looked up at the stars. Between the treetops, patches of night sky glimmered here and there. Inevitably, the memory of flying through the night with Kilian overcame her. His warmth, his closeness, his voiceunder the endless canopy of stars. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.
Marcus cleared his throat, pulling her out of dreams she shouldn't be having anyway. He looked at her intently. "I'm glad we can talk in private."
She had expected this. "If you're trying to talk me out of my plan, save your energy. You won't succeed."
He shook his head. "I understand that, Ava. Still, I want you to think carefully about whether we should at least briefly visit our people first."
"I don't even know if they're my people!"
"They must be. All dragon guardians come from the Old Folk."
