Page 2 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
Ava lay flat on her stomach behind a boulder on the ground, observing the path that led up the hill. For half an hour, she had been inching her way back into the dragon world bit by bit.
Rob's betrayal burned deeply. He had left her behind, even though she had only wanted to say goodbye to her aunt. She had been ready to accept her legacy as a dragon guardian and do her best to protect the magical world. Ready to be there for Lilly so the girl wouldn't have to live alone on the streets anymore. And ready to find out how it had come to pass that her parents had abandoned her as a child in the world of humans.
Even Rob's betrayal couldn't change any of that!
She understood why he had done it. But that still didn't justify his actions. That was why she would do everything in her power to find Lilly and the little dragon. Maybe also Marcus, who had often helped her and certainly wouldn't agree with Rob's actions. Kilian probably didn't either, but she forbade herself to think about him. Seeing his face in her mind's eye already made her nervous, and she couldn't afford that right now.
Besides, what was between them couldn't be.
In front of her were dry leaves, and she remained behind them, waiting and listening. Flying on Rob's dragon about two hours before had proved advantageous in at least one way, though of course she wouldn't have been in this situation if she hadn't flown with him. But getting upset about it wouldn't get her anywhere. Sitting on the dragon's back up in the sky, she had observed in detail how the border guards were positioned, where they were hiding, and where their horses were tied up.
Carefully avoiding the dry leaves since the rustling could betray her, she crawled towards the rocks the soldiers were hiding behind. Maybe there was a way to sneak around the rock masses and run along the hillside in the shadow of the slope until she reached the valley floor and then pretend she was just an ordinary passerby. At least her clothes didn't give her away anymore, unlike the first time she visited the dragon world.
Silently, she jumped to her feet and set off running in a crouched position. There were bushes with prickly branches growing on the slope, which meant she couldn't sneak as close to them as she had hoped. Nevertheless, the border guards didn't spot her as she fought her way between the rocks and the river. The hill rose steadily, so the distance to the water became greater with each step. But the path was wide enough. She forged on securely. As long as she didn't make a sound, her chances were good. She forbade herself to think about anything else.
If the soldiers caught her, would an air dragon fly in again and demand that the men let her pass? Did the dragon community already recognize her role as a guardian? Or was she uninteresting because there wasn't another dragon egg and she certainly wasn't carrying one?
If she had learned one thing from her past adventure, it was that she couldn't rely on the support of the dragons or anyoneelse. Which wasn't difficult for her. She had managed on her own before and she would find her way back to Lilly alone.
She pushed to the back of her mind how often Kilian had come to her aid...
The path narrowed until she had to stop. Beside and in front of her, it went steeply downhill to the river. Large boulders jutted out of the water. She probably wouldn't survive a fall from this height. Wiping her dusty forehead with her forearm, she looked around. Amidst the rock masses, a narrow passage became visible. Her only chance if she didn't want to march past the soldiers on the official path.
Silently, she squeezed between the boulders. Only when she turned her head and shoulders did she fit through. She couldn't help but think of the rock crevice she and Marcus had gone through to reach the Old City. Hopefully, the inhabitants had survived the mages' attack.
Determinedly, she pushed this memory aside as well. She had to be vigilant and couldn't allow herself to be distracted. She raised the familiar wall that she hid her worries, thoughts, and emotions behind and then continued on her way. Step by step, she traversed the narrow passage until she reached the end. Chest-high thorn bushes grew directly in front of it, which was why none of the border guards were watching the path. But she had arrived right behind the rocks near where the border guards were posted.
Damn.
Before she could turn back, firm boot steps sounded. Immediately, she crouched down in the shelter of the bush and waited.
"Have you seen her yet?"
Were the men talking about her?! Wait, she knew that voice. She tried to remember who it belonged to, but couldn't.
"No, but we're keeping our eyes open."
"I hope so! According to the dragon fighter, she poses a serious threat to the king and the realm. We can't let her slip through!"
Ava clenched her fists. Not only had Rob left her behind, but to top it all off, he had warned the border guards about her and told them some lies?! He was in for it the next time she met him!
Holding her breath, she peered through the branches and observed the soldiers. There were two men talking. They were armed with swords and one had magnificent shoulder boards that marked him as having a higher rank. The captain had his back turned to her and was showing the other something he held in his hand before pointing to the hut in whose shadow the horses were tied up.
"Stay with the horses! I want to see for myself what the border situation looks like."
"Yes, Captain!" The soldier saluted dutifully and marched to the simple wooden house. The leader, meanwhile, looked again at what he held in his hand before walking past the rocks towards the border. Not once did he look in her direction.
Only one guard remained with the horses and thus near her. Just one. She could manage to get past one. Surely. She'd find a way through somewhere. Or she'd grab one of the mounts and gallop away. First, she just had to overpower that one border guard...
Damn, but how? She had no weapon, had never received combat training—except for the nasty forced experience in the mages' arena—and there wasn't a dragon on hand to fly away with either.
She rubbed her eyes, brushed her chestnut hair from her face, and rolled her shoulders. Improvising was the best option. She had to seize the opportunity while only one guard stood in her way. And that meant she had to fight her way through the thorny bush.
Gritting her teeth, she approached the thorn bush. She would have cursed, but that wouldn't help her now.
She lay sideways on the ground and slithered under the branches. The thorns repeatedly grazed her forehead, shoulder, and hip, scraping her skin, but she didn't make a single sound to express the pain. When a thorn dug deep into her upper arm, she paused and pressed her lips together. Carefully, she removed the spike and crawled on.
She'd gotten the upper part of her body through the bush faster than expected. Only her legs were left, and then she'd be off before the captain returned. At the moment, she was lying there like a sitting duck.
