Page 47 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
Ava turned red with anger but didn't engage in the argument. Instead, another battle cry escaped her and she leaped at the cadet.
The training lasted until evening. Kilian had observed her, given thousands of tips and instructions, and had come too close to her more than once, so that she had felt his heat unfiltered. The frustration over the hopelessness had given Ava seemingly endless energy, which was why she looked up in surprise when he declared the combat training over. The sun had already set and the arena was illuminated by numerous fire bowls.
"We'll continue tomorrow."
Magg snorted and turned to the punching bag. Ava wanted to pocket her daggers and walk to the exit of the training facility, but Kilian called her back.
"The combat training is over, but today's lesson isn't finished yet."
Surprised, she turned around. Her arms felt like lead, which would make it difficult to hold a spoon at dinner, and her entire body was covered in bruises and abrasions. "What lesson do I still need to learn before I can take a break?"
He pointed to the punching bag next to Magg's. "You're going to box for another hour."
"What?"
This was surely a bad joke. But she saw no mercy in his eyes, as if he had overcome his feelings for her over the course of the day. He'd better explain to her how to do that, because she wanted to reach that point too.
"You'll box for an hour and then run laps in the arena until I tell you that your training for today is complete."
She shook her head in disbelief. Was this his way of dealing with pent-up sexual energy? Then he should work on the punching bag himself! Angrily, she glared at him, turned to the punching bag, and began to hit it.
She had to suppress a cry of pain with each hit. The palms of her hands were raw, unaccustomed as they were to gripping daggers all day long. As she clenched her fists for the strikes, the chafed areas burned like fire. But she gritted her teeth, unwilling to play the weak woman in front of Magg or to ask Kilian for special treatment. The more she learned each day, the sooner she would finish her combat training.
She struck and struck until the skin on her knuckles split open.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her forearm. Alarmed, she spun around, ready to defend herself. It was Magg who held her, but strangely, she didn't look angry and didn't strike her with her dagger. Instead, she nodded at her open wounds.
"You need to bandage your hands."
Was this another trick to show her how incapable she was? As Ava's chest heaved heavily from exertion, she eyed the cadet suspiciously. But Magg didn't launch into a verbal attack; instead, she held out a roll of bandages, and her voice sounded not arrogant, but rather... neutral?
"Today is the first training day with the dragon leader. If you want to survive tomorrow's session, you need to bandage your hands."
Hesitantly, Ava took the bandage, whereupon Magg immediately resumed her own training. The blows against the punching bag sounded dull and were so powerful that Ava couldn't help but admire them.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"You don't want to know. And that wasn't an invitation to chat!"
Ava laughed. It would have been strange if Magg had reacted differently. She probably would have worried if it had been otherwise. She wrapped the bandage around her hands and examined her work before experimentally making a fist. The pain was bearable.
"Thanks." She hit the punching bag and nodded with satisfaction. This was definitely better. She pummeled the punching bag alongside Magg battering hers until a loud whistle sounded, signaling that an hour had passed. She immediately started running her laps.
Although she had been working out all day, she found the energy to run faster and faster. Meanwhile, her mind kept going back to images of Kilian holding her close, to the feelings she had when he touched her or even just stood near her, and to the longing that grew worse with each encounter. A fire ignited in her stomach and spread through her body. She had no idea how to control it. Maybe she should get tips from Draco.
She didn't know how long she was running for, but at some point, Kilian was standing at the entrance of the arena, and as soon as she passed him, he nodded to her distantly. His expression was cool, as if she were just anyone.
"I'll see you tomorrow before sunrise." With those words, he disappeared. Apparently, he too had come to the conclusion that every minute together was one too many.
Chapter 22
Ava took a long shower before going to dinner. There, she waited for an opportune moment when her friends were laughing loudly at one of Ralph's jokes. Unobserved, she snuck over to the pots, grabbed a slice of bread and a bowl of stew, and disappeared unseen. Although Kilian wasn't there yet, he would surely join the others soon.
Draco was waiting for her at the exit of the arena. He had read her thoughts and knew her destination. "I'll accompany you to the rocks."
Ava shook her head. "I need to be alone."
"But the mages —"
