Page 80 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
They raced towards the steps, climbed them in no time, and ran along the fortress wall. Countless sections had collapsed, so they didn't get far.
Ava quickly surveyed the castle complex. Draco had directed his attacks at the main gate, which was why most of the mages gathered there. As he flew towards them, whole volleys of magic spheres followed him, but he deflected them with his tail as if it were the easiest of exercises. He landed on the battlement, causing even more stones to thunder to the ground and the structure to sway dangerously.
Kilian pushed Magg onto Draco's back. Ava helped him, but suddenly she was hit by a magic ball on her back shoulder. The force and pain made her sink to her knees. The next energy blast followed, and she doubled over in agony. Before she regained her balance, she fell from the wall down into the castle courtyard. She landed hard on the ground. At the last moment, before her head hit firmly, she caught herself with her hands.
"Ava!" Kilian jumped after her and used his sword to fend off the attacks of the mages who had followed them through the window. More came running across the courtyard and fired not only at Ava and Kilian but also at Draco. The air crackled, and it became scorching hot.
"Fly away!"Ava screamed at him mentally.
"I'll never leave you behind!"
"Fly away and get Magg to safety!"She lunged to her feet as the mages surrounded her and Kilian. They stood back-to-back and fended off the attacks with their swords and daggers, but there were too many to reach Draco.
Magg screamed when she was hit by a magic blast, causing Ava to look at Draco in shock."Take her away before they kill you both!"
"I can't leave you!"
"You must!"
Draco roared and spewed fire at their opponents, but the first mages had climbed the battlement and were trying to pull Magg off his back. He had no choice but to knock them away with his wings and rise into the air.
"You better be alive when I come back!"
Ava watched him for a split second before turning her attention to their enemies.
There were so many.
Kilian ran his hand over her waist as they stood back-to-back facing the mages. His touch helped her overcome the worst panic.
"We're staying together. We can do this!"
She nodded. Determinedly, she grasped the dagger and deflected the magic orbs. Kilian did the same while simultaneously pushing her along the wall, inch by inch. Eventually, they reached a section that had collapsed. One step at a time, back-to-back, they fought their way up the debris and down the other side. Finally, they left the castle grounds behind and reached the mountainside on which the castle had been built.
A few scattered mages jumped after them, but most remained within the castle grounds. Perhaps the area contained a protective spell.
Elora didn't reappear. Ava didn't fool herself: This was the only reason they could escape. One meter after the next, they increased the distance from their opponents until the attacks died down.
Had they made it?
No more lightning bolts came flying, so they immediately began the ascent. With each meter of elevation gained, the euphoria in Ava's heart grew louder. The unbridled joy of having survived.
But just as she thought they had made it and briefly turned back towards the castle, Arthur stepped over the debris. He targeted them, and in his eyes lay undisguised hatred. He formed an energy ball and hurled it after them in the form of a red-hot fire salvo.
Kilian had already turned to climb up the mountain, so he didn't see the attack coming, but Ava jumped in between. The impact was so violent that it shot through her body like fire. She fell and lay motionless on the rocky slope.
"Ava!"
Kilian leaped over her and deflected the next magic orb that Arthur threw at them. There was an ugly grin on the mage's hollow-cheeked face. And he fired another and another and another, so that Kilian had to continuously whirl his sword through the air to defend them.
Adrenaline flooded through Ava. She scrambled to her feet, everything hurt, but she wouldn't give up. Not now, when they had almost made it. She raised her hand with the dagger, warded off the next wave of attacks, and let out an ear-splitting scream. The magic orb was deflected by the Isip stone, hit the mountainside, and a huge boulder broke loose. Along with an avalanche of rubble, it rolled towards them, thundering on the rocks like claps of thunder, and clouds of dust particles swirled up.
Quickly, Ava and Kilian darted to the side and fought their way forward along the slope to a crevice where they were protected, while the mages had to fend off the rockslide with combined forces. As soon as the dust disappeared and visibility cleared, they found themselves out of their enemies' reach.
Although their opponents didn't launch another wave of attacks, they didn't allow themselves a break, climbing relentlessly forward until they had rounded the slope and the castle was no longer in sight. For a moment, Ava stood still and looked back. She shook her head in disbelief. Even though she had no idea how they had managed it, they had made the impossible possible. They had escaped the mages.
Chapter 35
"Come on. We're still too close to the castle." Kilian gently touched her elbow, getting her to focus her attention back on the slope. Kilian was right. If they stayed here, the mages would immediately see the dragons flying in and possibly attack them.
