Page 5 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
"Why?"
"It'll mask her aura. Hurry up, damn it!"
"Yes, sir!" The door was flung open, the sound of hooves echoed, and the smell of horse wafted in along with the warmth emanating from its large body. The men pushed Ava close to the horse, surrounding her as if they needed a group hug, and made no sound.
Ava wanted to resist, but they held her in an iron grip, and her bonds and gag were tight. She had no choice but to stand still and listen to what was happening.
It was so hot that beads of sweat ran down between her shoulder blades.
Outside, a storm was brewing, beating against the wooden walls and whistling through the roof. Under the sack, the air remained stuffy and hot.
"He's here," whispered a soldier.
"I know. We need to talk so he doesn't wonder what we're doing in here."
Ava didn't give up, she tried to scream, but only managed muffled sounds. The guards held her mercilessly, and the horse also remained in place, as if its feet were cemented to the ground.
"We need to clean the hooves. Look, the horse has injured itself here," one of the soldiers said, so as to start a casual conversation.
"Right, I'll do that. Easy, nag, or I can't help you."
"Don't insult him, the dragons don't like that," the other hissed.
"You beautiful, beautiful steed. You're doing so well," the other then cooed.
The guards talked so loudly that Ava couldn't hear anything happening outside the hut. But eventually the wind died down, the border guards breathed a sigh of relief, and it was clear that her only chance to escape had literally blown away.
The men shoved her to the ground and chained her to something. Judging by the clinking sounds, it was a metal rod. They left the horse in the shed near her and went back outside. A beam of light fell into the room as they opened the door, but since they left the sack over Ava's head, she saw nothing but weak light shining through the fabric.
The guards just left??? But they had to remove the wad of cloth from her mouth, or she'd suffocate!
Ava made indistinguishable sounds, but the soldiers didn't even think of coming back to spare her from death by suffocation. Perhaps they consciously took the risk to get rid of her as quickly as possible. The door fell shut behind them, and the weak light vanished instantly.
Damn it all! Her return to the realm of dragons couldn't have gone worse!
Minutes ticked by. No one checked on her, no guard stood in front of the hut, as if the men had suddenly become afraid of her. The air smelled stale and stagnant and her oxygen supply was worryingly low, but she reminded herself to stay calm. She couldn't give up. She had to find a solution, even though her situation seemed hopeless.
Finally, an idea came to her. She lowered the internal wall she hid her feelings behind, just a little bit. Not to face her emotions, heavens, no! But to reach out her feelers to the little dragon whom she would be connected with for life. At least, that's what he had said. How much could you trust the statement of a one-day-old dragon?
Stop, she mustn't discourage herself. It was worth a try.
She listened inwardly to see if she could sense his heartbeat.
"Little dragon?"
He didn't answer. Thalara, Kilian's dragon, had probably already taken him far away to safety, so she shouldn't try to lure him here. He wasn't equipped to handle such danger. After all, he was still a hatchling that fit in the palm of her hand.
What could he do if he came here anyway? Scare off the soldiers with his cute roar? Fly Ava away with his tiny body? But he might be able to alert the air dragons, which would be extremely helpful. But what could happen to him alone on the flight here? Was he even capable of flying long distances yet? Certainly not.
However, he could inform her friends or another dragon.
She tried again, but he didn't respond. They were probably too far apart. Nevertheless, she kept the wall down and didn't give up calling for him. At least it gave her the feeling she was doing something and not just silently waiting for her execution.
Hours passed as she crouched in a twisted position in the corner. She couldn't reach the knots of the bonds, and no matter how desperately she wriggled and tugged at the ropes, they didn't loosen. She couldn't get the sack off her head or the gag out of her mouth either. At some point, she grew tired. At some point, hope diminished. At some point, she accepted her hopeless situation and expected the worst.
The soldiers didn't come back. They neither gave her anything to drink nor did she hear them talking. Were they evenstill nearby? Or were they just waiting for nighttime to kill her? Maybe they were waiting for her to die on her own.
Ava leaned against the wall. She was exhausted, yet she didn't doze off. If these were her last living minutes, she wanted to use them consciously. Because maybe an opportunity would still present itself, a chance, anything. She couldn't leave Lilly believing she had abandoned her. The girl would never trust anyone again. So she stayed awake, so her head worked tirelessly, so she listened for every sound—and that's why she heard exactly when the door quietly opened and someone entered the shed.
