Page 29 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
He looked serious and not at all like he was trying to charm her, which made Ava take notice.
"What was it about?"
Glancing furtively to the side, he made sure they were alone, pulled her a few more steps away from the stairs, and lowered his voice. "You probably remember what I told you about why Master Clark no longer teaches the king's dragon fighters."
"Supposedly he's able to use magic."
Nodding, he looked down the hallway in both directions again before continuing. "This afternoon, I observed one of the cooks doing something... unusual." He was hemming and hawing. He usually wasn't at a loss for words.
"What did she do?"
He grasped her by the shoulders and looked at her intently. "She sprinkled a powder from a small bottle into the dirty pot, and after that, she only had to rinse it once with water, and it was clean."
Somehow, she had been expecting him to tell her about something more alarming than housework. She furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"
"She used magic!" He covered his mouth, startled by his loud words, and lowered his voice again. "Don't you see, Ava, magic isn't viewed here for what it is: dangerous!"
"But maybe it wasn't magic at all, just a cleaning agent. Baking soda, for example. Aunt Helen uses it all the time for cleaning."
He shook his head. "I'm one hundred percent sure."
Her limbs felt heavy again, and she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. She shrugged casually. "So?"
"This is a serious matter!"
She was about to reply that she didn't think it was all that severe, until she suddenly remembered that Kilian had warnedher to be cautious when discussing magic with others. "What are you implying?"
His grip on her shoulders tightened. She hadn't thought he'd that much strength.
"Don't you see? If one person in this area uses magic as a tool, the others are certainly not opposed to it either. Maybe they're trading with the mages, maybe they're their allies, maybe Master Clark is stalling you until you exhaust your powers, only to then hand you over to the mages."
His considerations weren't completely far-fetched. Uncomfortable, she rubbed her arms, still unsure what to think of magic itself. Lilly was magically gifted, she had noticed that, but the girl kept it secret. And she wasn't evil. Wasn't a power always as good or bad as the one who wielded it?
"Is it possible that you're exaggerating a bit? Not everyone who uses magic has to be malicious."
He gaped at her, aghast, as if she had suggested he should face Magg in the arena, but then he shook his head. "You didn't grow up here and don't understand. It's only because of magic that dragons were almost completely wiped out. It's only because of magic that our world is on the brink. Anyone who can use it or uses it as a tool is allying themselves with the mortal enemies of our realm. With those who threaten peace, who have all these beautiful dragons on their conscience. It's only because of those gifted with magic that dragons no longer reproduce. Don't you see? Magic is fundamentally evil!"
If she hadn't met Lilly, she might have been able to share his opinion, but she knew the girl and knew she had a good character. However, she couldn't bring up this argument, since she didn't know how he would treat Lilly afterward. Besides, she would never carelessly reveal her secret. She needed another reason to prevent him from overreacting. He was overreacting, wasn't he?
"If magic destroyed the dragons, why do two mountain dragons fly in from the mountains every day to practice with Master Clark's students?"
Marcus pressed his lips together and ran his hand through his curls. Wonderful. The argument hadn't missed its mark. But suddenly he snapped his fingers.
"They probably don't know what's happening inside the buildings." He quickly rubbed the back of his neck, which could only mean that he himself knew how flimsy his answer sounded. Reason enough for Ava to harp on it. After all, she had to stop him from jumping to conclusions.
"But wouldn't they sense it? Perceive it somehow?"
He looked at her seriously, with no trace of uncertainty left. "Back then, when Thalgor destroyed the dragons, they didn't perceive it either."
Damn, how do you argue about magic when you don't understand anything about it? "Since then, though, the dragons have become smarter—or rather, more suspicious."
He shook his head emphatically. "Ava, no, you don't understand."
"Yes, I do understand. You mean well and want to take me to your people because you think you can protect me there. But that's not the reason I came to this realm."
His gaze revealed the pain he felt. "Ava, you need to give yourself time. Get to know our world first, and do the combat training later when you understand what's going on. I promise you, I'll always be by your side to help you. Ava, please..." He took her hand and looked at her imploringly, but she shook her head.
"I didn't come back to hide. Good night." She smiled at him encouragingly before releasing her hand from his and running to her room. Before he could follow her, she closed the door behind her, leaned her back against it, and took a deep breath.
