Page 68 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
"Did that happen to you as a child?"
Magg didn't reply, but perhaps the silence was answer enough.
They continued flying until Magg finally spoke up. "My mother wanted to make me a princess, she had big goals and succeeded. I was the best friend of Princess Amelia, Kilian's future bride. That's how I caught the attention of the powerful. Since my hair looks very similar to the queen's, the mages mistook me for her and kidnapped me. They wanted to blackmail the king."
Ava swallowed. No child should experience such a thing. "That sounds terrible. Did the king give in?"
Magg snorted. "He didn't lift a finger. For weeks I sat in a dungeon, and my fine silk dress, jewelry, and makeup did me no good. I was helpless. That's when I vowed never to feel that way again."
Ava could relate to that feeling, and the thought of being stuck in a prison as a child stirred her sympathy. But she knew Magg wasn't looking for pity. She was probably telling her this on Draco's back so she didn't have to see compassion on Ava's face.
"How did you escape?"
"The dragon fighters rescued me, without the king's orders. They stormed a mage's hideout and found me. It was pure chance, otherwise I'd still be there or already dead."
"That's why you want to be a dragon fighter. But why aren't you one already? You fight better than all the other cadets combined."
Magg snorted. "As soon as the king looks at me, he feels like a failure. Amelia supposedly still reproaches him for it to this day, but he just wants to forget the whole unpleasant story—which he can't if I become a successful dragon fighter. And I will!"
Ava didn't doubt that for a second. "Are you still friends with the princess?"
"No." That one word sounded so final that Ava didn't press further. Besides, she wasn't keen on talking about the princess anyway.
"Have you tried to bond with a dragon yet?"
Magg shook her head. "The king controls the bonds. All bondings only take place with his consent and in the official camps."
Ava understood. "That's why he was so agitated this morning, because not only did I hide the dragon egg from him, but Draco bonded with me without his permission."
"You've never been more likable to me than in this moment."
Smirking, Ava turned around to her and saw a barely visible grin on the cadet's face. But it disappeared as she focused her attention forward.
"We're entering the mages' realm of power."
Ava followed her gesture and held her breath. The air shimmered darkly, as if there was a giant soap bubble whose walls glowed black with a hint of red.
Thalara turned and lined up next to Draco while Kilian shouted against the wind, "As soon as we break through the barrier, they'll know we're here."
"Is there any way to prevent that?"
Kilian shook his head, making Ava focus on the magical boundary. "Then let's not waste a minute. Lilly needs us!"
Magg raised a fist to the sky combatively. "Attack!"
Draco let out a roar, which Thalara joined, and in a synchronized flight, the dragons targeted the protective film and broke through it simultaneously. A jolt went through Ava's body, the feeling similar to what she experienced the moment she had crossed the border from the human world into that of the dragons.
Magic.
But the feeling passed immediately, leaving behind a barren rocky landscape that spiraled up into a mountain range they hadn't seen outside the barrier. Several powerful wing beats later, Ava recognized the terrain. Recognized the mountain ridges, the chains of hills and... She swallowed. As if the dragons wanted to remind her of her misconduct, they landed on the rocky plateau where Kilian and she had kissed.
As she dismounted from Draco, she kept her gaze lowered, the blush of shame burning in her cheeks. Fortunately, it was so dark that the others wouldn't notice. A hissing sound was heard and Thalara set the tip of a stick Kilian was holding aflame.
So much for her hope that her discomfort would go unnoticed.
But the two paid no attention to her, instead looking in the direction of the castle, which made Ava focus on their goal again. Lilly. Even if the girl acted tough, she must be terribly afraid.
Magg clenched her hands, which she had bandaged during the flight. "I say we fly in, get Lilly out of the dungeon, and burn everything to the ground!"
