Page 16 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

The old grotto was located next to the river they had crossed a while ago, which described an arc through the terrain before flowing into the cave in the rock face. It continued its course through the landscape in the form of a tributary.

The interior of the old dragon cave was illuminated by the stars, yet the rock formations harbored many hidden corners and hollows where a small unit of soldiers could easily hide.

Holding their breath, they entered the grotto and waited at the entrance so they could flee if there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for them.

They looked around wordlessly, but they didn't discover any traces that revealed someone's presence, nor did a guard jump out from a dark corner to seize them.

Lilly stood on her tiptoes and surveyed the landscape and sky, probably in expectation of her famous hero. Would he arrive flying on his dragon? Certainly not, if he wanted to avoid attracting attention. Who would miss a giant dragon in the sky, even in the darkness?

Lilly nervously dusted off her baggy tunic, smoothed out her pants that were two sizes too big for her thin legs, and fixed her hair. Ava watched this with amusement.

"How come you trust Kilian? You don't really know him, do you?"

"Well, he tossed me a silver coin once."

As Ava grinned, Lilly shrugged her narrow shoulders. "He probably doesn't remember me, I know, but with that coin I could buy food for four days."

Ava nodded. She understood why he was her hero.

"Why don't you think he'll take the dragon egg straight to the king?

After all, he was at the ball and talked with the royal family.

He didn't exactly act submissive, but he's still below the monarch in the power structure, isn't he?

" She gently stroked the pouch that hung securely at her side.

Instinctively, she knew it was fine. The constant running had probably lulled it to sleep.

"The dragons trust him, otherwise the strongest living fire dragon wouldn't have bonded with him."

Hopefully, she was right. The idea that the dragons wanted to protect the egg from the king also fit with the experience she'd had with the air dragon. Why else would it have helped her when she'd entered this world and had her first encounter with the soldiers?

"Speaking of the strongest dragon, is there also a kind of hierarchy among the dragons or are they subject to the monarch?"

"King Eldric would like that. Did you see the ceiling painting in the ballroom?"

Ava nodded. "Although it was well-painted, it looked terrible."

"That picture is totally stupid! Just look at how powerful the dragons are. They're not made to grovel before a human. But that's exactly what King Eldric demands of them."

"And the dragons go along with it?"

"They have no choice if they want our world to continue existing. They have to bond with the king to maintain the magic. Otherwise, they'll all die. They're scared, most have retreated and only a few go to war with the dragon fighters against... the mages."

Her tone clearly indicated that she didn't want to talk about it any further.

Grumbling, she kicked a stone aside. It shimmered in shades of blue.

Without hesitation, Ava bent down and picked it up.

It was smooth and cool. She put it in her pocket and looked up at the night sky with Lilly.

The stars twinkled clearly, and there wasn't a shadow in sight to indicate an approaching dragon.

Time passed and after a while, Ava wondered if there might be another old grotto. It must have been almost midnight by then— her body, at least, was starting to demand sleep. It was no wonder, given that she hadn't been this active in a long time.

She would have loved to sit down on the ground, but then she wouldn't have been able to react quickly if someone sneaked up. So she remained standing. With tired eyes, she looked at the rocky surroundings. "Maybe he's not coming at all."

Stubbornly, Lilly shook her head. She didn't look tired at all. "You don't really believe that. Kilian would never stand us up!"

Yawning, Ava leaned against the rock face. "Because we're respected persons of this kingdom?"

"No, because that's not proper behavior."

"The girl is absolutely right," a deep voice sounded behind them.

Startled, Ava turned around, suddenly wide awake. With silent steps, Kilian emerged from the depths of the cave. His dark leather clothing blended with the night, but his sharp-edged facial features and piercing eyes were visible in the light of the stars.

His presence instantly made Ava uneasy. Lilly, meanwhile, turned beet red and couldn't utter a sound.

"Hey little one, you alright?"

She just nodded, her eyes fixed on him. Ava suppressed a grin, but the girl's reaction helped her calm down. Coolly, she turned to the dragon fighter.

"Lilly thinks you're trustworthy. I hope she's right about that."

Kilian nodded towards the pouch hanging at her side. "If it's about what you're carrying around all too obviously in your bag..." He made as if to reach for it, but paused halfway and looked at her. He had to lower his gaze, as he was more than a head taller than her. "Will you show it to me?"

She eyed him skeptically. Could they really trust him?

His every movement was accentuated by his predatory demeanor—it was just his nature.

Yet he also exuded a calmness that conveyed security.

Moreover, the dragon child wasn't raising any alarm, and so far no soldiers had appeared, which spoke in his favor.

She practically had to tear her eyes away from him. Carefully, she took the egg out of her bag, its purple glow casting light on the cave walls. Kilian's face took on a reddish shimmer as his eyes widened almost imperceptibly. This time, he really did reach out his hand.

He was the first person besides Ava to touch the dragon egg.

Reverently, he stroked the surface, tracing the scales with his fingers and caressing the curves without applying much pressure. "So the prophecy is true."

Ava watched, fascinated by how lovingly he handled the egg, until the meaning of his words snapped her out of her observations. "What are you talking about?"

"That a woman from another world would come to us with a dragon egg and change the course of history." His gaze rested on her.

Was he referring to her? She shook her head decisively.

"That can't possibly mean me." She did have to admit, though, that the main points applied to her. "Besides, how do you know I'm not from here? Did you talk to the soldiers?"

Kilian ran his fingers over the surface again. "If you were from here, I would have noticed you long ago."

She raised her head and met his gaze, which rested on her with interest. "What do you mean by that?"

"How do you feel with the egg?"

Was he serious with that question? His mouth didn't twitch, so she thoughtfully focused her attention on the dragon egg. "Since I found it, I've been hearing a voice." She looked up, but since he didn't laugh, she continued. "It belongs to the egg, doesn't it?"

This distracted Lilly from admiring Kilian and her eyes widened. "You can hear the baby dragon?" She sounded downright awestruck.

Ava shrugged. It wasn't such a big deal. "Sure, can't you?"

Kilian looked at her intently. "No, we can't. That means it has chosen you as its guardian."

She raised her hand defensively. "Hold on a minute! I'm not some dragon egg guardian. I'm just Ava. Besides, it hasn't been talking to me for a while now. It's sleeping, that's why you can't hear it."

A barely noticeable smile flitted across Kilian's lips as he crossed his arms in front of his body. "If that's the case, just Ava, you can simply put the egg on the ground and walk away."

Put the egg on the ground and leave? There was a pain in her heart that went beyond saying goodbye to a casual acquaintance.

Involuntarily, she pulled the egg closer to her chest. She observed the shimmer, the scales, the curves.

Now that she knew it really was a dragon egg and she had really heard its voice, she understood that the gentle warmth inside her was like a pulse.

Was that the heartbeat of the young dragon?

"I can't do that."

Kilian nodded. "Of course you can't. You're its guardian."

His words stirred something in her. She looked up at him, but an incredulous shake of her head was all she could manage.

Unexpectedly gentle, he grasped her upper arms. "There's no need to be frightened. It's an honor, a distinction, something special. The hatchling has chosen you, called you to itself, do you understand?"

Overwhelmed, she continued shaking her head. Of course, she felt the close bond, but that didn't make her some person from a prophecy. "I just want to make sure it's okay."

"You will."

Lilly cleared her throat audibly, causing Ava to take a step back and Kilian to turn to her with a smile. "Yes?"

Self-assured, she crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one leg, wearing her usual composed expression. "Here in the grotto, the egg is much too close to King Eldric! What if a wanderer discovers us with the dragon egg and rats us out? The king must not know about the egg!"

Apparently, she had overcome her shy phase.

Kilian nodded. "You're absolutely right.

That's why we're taking you away from here.

" As if the sentence was an agreed-upon code word, the earth trembled.

At the front of the cave appeared a giant head atop a long, thick neck.

The bright yellow eyes peering in at them were at least as big as watermelons.

And they were staring at the egg in Ava's hands.

She felt weak in the knees as she turned to stone. Was that a dragon? How long had it been in front of the grotto? How could she have missed it?