Page 62 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
"I understand." She stretched out on her bed and folded her arms behind her head. Magg also lay back down, but her breathing didn't change. She, too, stared at the ceiling.
"Instead of looking at the one you can't have, you should appreciate who's laying his heart at your feet. Now go to sleep so I can finally have some peace!" She turned her back to her pointedly.
Ava wanted to argue, but the words made her thoughtful. Not because of what Magg had said, but how she had said it. One thing was certain: beneath her hard shell, she had a soft core.
Chapter 28
All cadets and soldiers gathered for morning roll call in the vast courtyard leading to the arenas. The sun was rising, bathing the area in soft light. However, the warm colors couldn't hide the fact that within these walls, there was no place for human warmth.
Kilian walked through the ranks, accompanied by Allan. The two didn't even come close to them—perhaps because Ava and the others had positioned themselves in the farthest corner. Ava looked at the dragon fighters' leaders as rarely as the other cadets did, which meant she spent most of the time staring straight ahead.
Draco had already landed and was waiting for them. He had been so restless all morning that Ava had barely been able to eat anything at breakfast. Lilly hadn't either. She had constantly argued with Lynn that she wouldn't attend class—but ultimately, under Lynn's strict rule, she did.
"What's going on, Draco?"
"We have important visitors."
Frowning, Ava looked forward but couldn't see anything."Who?"
Draco didn't answer, but his pulse quickened. Moreover, the unrest in the square increased, with more and more students whispering until Kilian whistled through his fingers and silence fell. However, it wasn't the kind of silence that promised relaxation.
Ava stood on her tiptoes but still couldn't see what was happening. "Can you see anything, Marcus?" After all, he was taller than her.
He nodded, suddenly pale as chalk. "Keep your head down."
"Why?"
But it wasn't Marcus who gave her an answer, but a cadet further ahead who gasped for air. "The king!"
All the blood drained from her face. She immediately tried to disappear into the crowd of those present. The king couldn't have come here by chance that morning of all days.
The whispers grew louder and the unrest increased until precisely what Ava had wanted to avoid at all costs happened. The crowd in front of her parted and the soldiers lined up in ranks moved aside so that the man in the golden robe and with the magnificent crown on his head could step towards her.
Directly in front of her.
King Eldric surveyed her with his chin thrust forward. He wasn't particularly tall or particularly muscular. To be honest, he didn't give the impression of being anything special at all. But when he raised his hand, she realized that she had once again been deceived by appearances, for no one dared to speak or turn their back on him. He was powerful and dangerous, and that made him her greatest threat.
"Come here, Dragon Leader!"
With firm steps, Kilian positioned himself next to him and looked at Ava nonchalantly.
"Is this the woman who hid the egg from Us?"
Ava opened her mouth, but Kilian cleared his throat loudly, causing her to pause. "This is the woman who succeeded in getting a dragon to hatch."
The king narrowed his eyes and looked down at Kilian, despite being at least a head shorter. He thrust out his chin and wrinkled his nose. "That was not Our question."
Kilian's expression remained inscrutable, but he didn't answer. How long would the monarch tolerate his defiance of the order?
He shouldn't put himself in danger for her.
"I hid the egg because as a guardian, I knew it wouldn't hatch otherwise. From the first moment, I was so strongly connected to the dragon that I knew what it needed."
The king raised his chin even higher. "By doing so, you placed yourself above Our wisdom and Our knowledge, which is punishable by death." He waved to the soldiers accompanying him, who immediately produced ropes.
She felt ice-cold.
Kilian wanted to say something, but Ava spoke first. "I am the first guardian in over two hundred years. With all due respect, I did what the dragon needed because he told me. I thought the survival of the dragons was of utmost importance."
