Page 69 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
Without taking her eyes off the fortress, Ava stood next to her. "I'd be up for it, but they know we're coming."
"That's why we need a merciless, quick attack."
The dragon leader shook his head. "We need to approach this smartly. Elora has Lilly, and she knows Ava is coming to free her. Plus, she felt us break through the protective spell."
"How did you manage that, by the way?" Magg looked at him with interest, but Kilian just pointed to the dragons. "They are the key."
The cadet nodded. "Of course."
Ava was getting restless. "What do you suggest, Kilian?"
"We split up. You two start an attack with Draco, but stay on him and distract them. They're expecting you to come, Ava—they don't know I'm here."
"But they'll recognize Thalara for sure from several kilometers away!"
Magg nodded. "They might have even sensed that two dragons flew through the barrier. Remember, no mage has been as powerful as Elora since Thalgor."
"That's why it's perfect that there are three of us. Two dragons—two fighters. That's what they'll assume, and that's what they'll get."
Ava narrowed her eyes skeptically. "What are you trying to say?"
Kilian emphasized his plan with concise gestures. "Magg flies on Thalara, and I sneak into the castle on foot."
The cadet opened her lips but didn't say a word, while Ava's eyes widened. "Never! That's insane! If Elora catches you, she'll kill you instantly."
He grinned as if it were an everyday challenge. "Then I guess I'd better not get caught."
"No, Kilian. You fly, and I'll sneak in. I'm their target anyway. I don't want you putting yourself in danger."
He shook his head; his decision was unshakeable, but it was driving Ava nearly mad. How was she supposed to concentrate on saving Lilly if he was putting his life in danger, perhaps never to come out of the mages' castle alive again?
Magg looked meaningfully from her to him and crossed her arms over her chest. That was all it took for Ava to turn away and look at the mountain range. She couldn't let her feelings control her. She cleared her throat and drew herself up, even though she felt like doing something entirely different. "How will we know when you have Lilly and where to meet you?"
"I'll communicate with Thalara through our thoughts, and she can tell Draco where I am."
It made sense that he had the same mental connection with his dragon as she did with Draco. Still, the idea made Ava sick. But her feelings had no place right now. "I was held captive inside the castle, not underground. There were no windows, and we went down three flights of stairs to reach Elora in the throne room."
Nodding, he looked at Magg. "My dragon accepts you as long as you stick to the plan."
She stiffened almost imperceptibly but nodded to him, whereupon he disappeared into the darkness without another glance at Ava.
Ava wanted to watch him go, but she couldn't even make out his silhouette anymore, so she turned to Magg. "What did he mean by that?"
Her new friend snorted. "Master Clark regularly criticized me for not being a good team player."
"It's not surprising, given that you trained alone, ate alone, and didn't make any friends. But now we're pursuing a common goal. Lilly is counting on us." She nodded to her and swung back onto Draco, but Magg hesitated and took a deep breath. Puzzled,Ava studied her until she noticed where Magg was looking. She was staring at Kilian's huge fire dragon.
She only had to think of her first ride on the temperamental dragon lady to imagine what was going through Magg's mind. "I heard she doesn't like it when you step on her spikes."
"Don't make me even more nervous."
"You, nervous? I didn't think that was possible."
"Oh, shut up!" She took a deep breath, got a running start, and jumped onto the back of the gigantic fire dragon. Once on top, she settled down and didn't move. Tensely, she looked at Ava. "Does she look angry?"
Ava leaned forward but only saw Thalara's narrowed eyes and her huge mouth—which was at least closed. "No idea. But she's not breathing fire, so that's something."
Draco snorted in her thoughts."She's impatient, and so am I."
