Page 9 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
"Sounds great. See you then." She jumped off the cart, waved to him, and marched along the road leading south. The mountains reached up to dizzying heights. The sun was high; it was early afternoon, so the shadows were short.
She scanned the rock faces until she spotted an angular formation that looked familiar. The cave could have been there. If she climbed the rock face diagonally, she should reach it.
Without hesitation, she began the ascent. It wasn't easy, as there was no hiking trail, but she kept finding rocky outcrops to pull herself up on, and slopes that weren't too steep to climb. Here and there, bushes and tall grasses grew, which, together with the rocks, provided support.
The climb was sweaty work, but she scaled the mountain and reached the cave. Exhausted, she panted, put her hands on her sides, and looked around, a restrained smile on her lips. Her fate had definitely turned since the appearance of the border soldier in the night who had helped her escape. This really was the cave where Lilly and Marcus had waited for her with the dragon child. But no one was there anymore. She didn't need to search around to be sure, because she sensed it as soon as she crossed the threshold of rock.
The last time she had come here, she had immediately felt the warmth that connected her to the hatchling. And Lilly had already been expecting her, as well as Marcus. This time, she found nothing but bare rocks, silence, and cold.
Nevertheless, she wandered through every single room, hoping to discover some clue. Something that would tell her where to continue her search. Where she could find her friends. But the others had left nothing behind.
She stopped in the middle of the cave and wiped her dusty forehead with the back of her hand. What should she do now? It would take days if she set out for Talus. Even longer if she ran into the old forest to search for the hidden city and Marcus. She shook her head. There had to be another way.
Again, she lowered her inner walls and felt for the dragon that had nestled in her heart, for the heartbeat that had beaten in unison with hers. But she couldn't feel it. Maybe because it had hatched and no longer needed her as its guardian. Perhaps the connection between hatchling and dragon guardian didn't last more than a week. The thought depressed her, so she quickly raised her wall again.
She was about to sit down on the rocky floor to think when she heard footsteps. Alert, she looked up and was startled.
Rob.
He stood in the entrance. His muscular body seemed to completely fill the passageway, as if to make it clear that she couldn't run past him. With his broad stature, he blocked out the sunlight, his shadow looming into the cave. His gloomy expression matched his black leather clothing, and his hands were clenched into fists.
As if she were the one who had betrayed him...
"I knew if you came back, there'd be only one place I'd find you."
Anger boiled up inside her, and she focused on that feeling instead of the fear that twisted her gut. She glared at him furiously. "Are you crazy, just leaving me at the world border? What lies did you tell the others about why you came back without me? How could you do that?"
He remained calm. Dangerously calm. "I have my reasons. They serve a higher purpose than your personal satisfaction."
"I wonder if your goal aligns with what Kilian's and the dragons' aims are, too." Without taking her indignant gaze offhim, she stepped deeper into the cave and inconspicuously traced an arc along the rock wall, hoping to lure him away from the entrance. There would be no escape in here, and she wasn't fooling herself. He hadn't searched for her to extend the hand of friendship.
"What you wonder about doesn't interest me. I must protect my country, and unlike our leader, I have no scruples!" Lightning-fast, he lunged forward to grab her. Ava jumped to the side and ran for the exit. She had to escape him!
With two large strides, he caught up with her and yanked her back by her tunic. "You're staying right here!"
"Let me go!" She lashed out, but he wouldn't release her.
"I won't make that mistake twice. Clearly, I need to deal with you personally if I want to make sure you don't get in our way again." He grabbed her waist so tightly, digging his fingers into her flesh, that it hurt. She swung her elbow, aiming for his face, but he dodged, too tall for her reach, so she resorted to using her legs. With full force, she kicked him in the shin.
"Let me go! I don't even want to go to Kilian!"
"Then why are you talking about him again?" In a well-practiced motion, he twisted her arms behind her back and held her tight, so she couldn't move without dislocating her shoulder.
"I want to go to Lilly, damn it. I've realized Kilian isn't available. Do you think I'm that desperate?"
A dangerously calm look settled in his eyes. "You pose a threat to all our futures. That's all I need to know. So I'm going to make sure you're not a threat anymore."
She paled. Before fear could overwhelm her, she tried to wriggle out of his grip, but he effortlessly held her hands behind her back, leaving her immobilized. When she turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder, she saw ruthless determination.
"What are you planning to do with me? Kill me or what?"
His irises glowed darkly, as if he had no soul. "I'm afraid that can't be avoided."
Her eyes widened. He couldn't be serious. "Is your goal so noble that you'd kill an innocent person?" Her voice echoed shrilly through the cave, the reverberation carrying the words into the remote rooms as if trying to help her inform others of the injustice. But they were alone. No one appeared to save her.
"You're certainly not innocent." Faster than she thought possible, he pulled a rope from his belt and tied her up like a package. "Don't worry, this cave was once sacred to the dragons. I won't dishonor it. So you still have..." He peered outside as if checking the position of the sun. Ava followed his gaze and her eyes widened. A huge dragon appeared in the distance, flying straight towards the cave. If she wasn't mistaken, that was...
"KILIAN! KILIAAAAAAAN!" She screamed with all the power her lungs and vocal cords could muster, but Rob hit her hard in the face. As her head snapped to the side, he grabbed it, then pulled a cloth and tied it around her jaw so that no other sound escaped. Effortlessly, he pushed her to the back of the cave.
