Page 37 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
They were speaking so quietly that she couldn't hear what the two were discussing, so she looked at the mountain dragons again. They were beautiful specimens, proud and majestic. Although their scales didn't shine like Draco's or Thalara's, they were still stunning. Green-brown spikes ran along their backs tothe tips of their tails, and their feet were large and mighty. Their bodies were more bulkier, somewhat clumsier than those of the fire and air dragons, yet they moved gracefully and fluidly. It was a joy to watch them.
They had deep eyes that were not at all aggressive. The mountain dragons were a peaceful species that probably would have given up fighting if there were enough other dragons. That would be the case again. Ava would make sure of it.
"Aren't they beautiful?" Master Clark had come to her unnoticed. He leaned on his cane and looked at the mountain dragons with a dreamy smile.
Ava quickly turned to him, hands raised ready to fight, before he could stab her in the side with a dagger or his walking stick for daring to let herself be distracted. But as he leaned on his stick, he didn't look aggressive at all, but rather like an old man admiring the beauty of creation.
She breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at the dragons. The short break definitely came in handy. "I was just admiring the mountain dragons too."
"A beautiful goal worth fighting for, don't you think?"
She nodded.
"When will your dragon join us?"
At a loss, she shrugged her shoulders. "He slept with Lilly last night. Probably doesn't want her to wake up alone." They were likely having breakfast together and, knowing Lilly, the girl would drag him to Lynn to liven up the lesson.
"I mean, when will he be full-grown, so he can carry you?"
Surprised, she looked at the trainer. "Do you really think he'll do that someday?" She had harbored the same hope, but she was surprised that Master Clark spoke of it so matter-of-factly.
He looked at her calmly, his round head slightly tilted. That the thin neck could support it never ceased to amaze her. "Why do you doubt it?"
She shrugged, but it didn't look as nonchalant as she'd hoped. "I'm just a guardian, not a dragon fighter."
The master smiled gently. "Don't get hung up on terminology. And don't focus on your opponents' strengths, but on your own."
Was he referring to the training fight?
"Can you tell me how I should position myself and how to wield the weapons? I was hoping you'd teach me that too, because I've never fought before..." ...As he had probably already figured out.
"We'll discuss how to wield your weapon once you've found the right one."
Her gaze fell on the club in her hands. "Then I guess I'll try... the daggers?" She looked at him questioningly, but he had already retreated into the shadows and called Ralph over. The blond giant jogged over to him, waved at Ava with a grin, and spoke quietly with Master Clark. If these were the instructions she could expect from the trainer today, she was in for thousands more bruises and scrapes...
Sighing, she watched the other students, who apparently loved fighting. Although they were sweating and panting, their faces expressed a grim satisfaction, and although they were moving nonstop, they seemed to enjoy pushing their bodies beyond their limits again and again. They whirled across the sand, swung swords, threw daggers, and shot with bows and arrows. It looked like child's play.
She squared her shoulders and stood tall, remembering why she had started training in the first place. She never wanted to feel helpless again. And she needed to prepare for the fight against Elora. Still, her steps were heavy as she walked to the weapons cabinet. She put the club back and took two daggers instead. She had observed Magg with the stabbing weapons and maybe she would manage to land a hit or two—even though, ifshe was being honest, she doubted she would be able to lift her arms many more times. They felt like lead. It was a good thing her legs had been tempered from all that running. At least that way she could dodge until the break bell rang... although her gut feeling told her that today it wouldn't just be breakfast that was canceled.
Chapter 18
She trained until the evening hours. No break and no food. Constant new weapons, constantly against Magg. With each hour, the cadet became faster and more aggressive. Perhaps the blazing midday sun had spurred her on even more.
Ava's tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. At times, she had been tempted to simply lie down on the sand, but the fire in Magg's eyes had spurred her on—and probably a tiny bit of fear of what her fellow student would do to her if she took an unauthorized break.
The others were training as well, but Ava barely had time to observe them. The master didn't call her to him again, so she was left to her own devices. Therefore, she studied Magg's maneuvers and memorized step sequences and attack tactics. Otherwise, she would probably have suffered far more bruises and abrasions.
As the sun set, a bell rang, and with that Magg immediately turned away from her and Ava, panting, supported herself on her knees. The remaining cadets put their weapons in the cabinet and left the arena. All except Magg. She checked the bandages on her hands and grabbed a sandbag.
Ava watched her in disbelief and struggled to her feet. "Don't you want to eat something first or at least drink?"
"There's no break on the battlefield either!" She struck the punching bag energetically. Her hard blows were targeted and relentless, as if she hadn't been training for hours already. Where did she get this seemingly boundless energy?
She would think about that another time. Now she needed a plan for making it to the dining hall. The distance seemed endless to her. She didn't even want to think about fighting her way up the stairs to her room and pulling the tunic over her head to shower. Who would have thought that the days of jogging hadn't been enough to physically prepare her for combat training?
But the prospect of sleeping on the hard sandy ground and getting neither food nor drink was by no means desirable. It was pure willpower that set her in motion, one leg in front of the other, as she slowly dragged herself towards the exit.
Draco and Lilly were sitting in the stands. They gestured to her enthusiastically. While Lilly waved, Draco wagged his enormous tail, sweeping it across the wooden seats. It was a wonder they didn't break. The dragon's purple scales glowed in the darkness, giving off a soft shimmer of light. Lilly had also brought a lantern—otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see the girl at all.
