Page 18 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

They reached Talus before sunrise. The night was cool, with temperatures dropping noticeably in the early morning hours, but both the dragon egg and the fire dragon gave off a pleasant warmth, so they didn't feel cold. Not to mention Kilian's heat.

From above, the city looked small, but as they got closer, Ava became more aware of just how enormous it was.

A high wall with watchtowers at each corner enclosed the city area, where narrow houses were crowded wall to wall.

In the center rose a large building that wasn't a castle but must have served as the king's residence when he visited.

Not far from there extended a marketplace with small stalls, and to the south was a theater.

Yet the abundance of leaves on the bleachers suggested that no performance had taken place for quite some time.

They landed in a field directly adjacent to the city walls, in front of the city gates.

It was probably the landing strip for dragons, since Kilian's fire dragon wasn't the only one there.

Four others were waiting in the half light, their hunched postures indicating they were ready for their riders.

Thanks to the torches burning on the battlements and in the towers, Ava could observe them despite the time of night it was.

They were smaller than Kilian's dragon. Two of them had red scales, one was white-blue, and one was brown. The brown one was by far the smallest.

"The brown one is a mountain dragon, right Lilly?" She had to lean forward and shout into the girl's ear to be understood, as they were already descending and the wind was whistling mercilessly.

"Exactly. The red ones are fire dragons and the white-blue one is an air dragon. Aren't they beautiful?"

Yes, they were, although quite different adjectives came to Ava's mind: powerful, majestic, awe-inspiring. She would keep several meters away from each of them, even the smaller mountain dragon, because it could easily crush her with the spikes on its tail.

Inevitably, her gaze fell on the dragon she had been riding for the last few hours and that she had only been able to see by the weak light of the stars and the soft glow of the dragon egg.

Its red scales looked hard and solid, possibly even impervious to bullets shot from a firearm.

She stroked them absently and shuddered. "Is she the leader of the dragons?"

But Lilly didn't hear her, as she threw up her arms and laughed loudly, probably enjoying the feeling rushing through her stomach. Ava wished her stomach could handle the ups and downs just as well .

Kilian leaned forward and answered instead. "She's been the leader since the largest fire dragon died fifty years ago."

"Did his death have anything to do with the Magic Wars?"

"Officially, it's said it was because of old age, but I don't believe that."

She turned to face him. "What do you believe, then?"

He shrugged, his gaze wandering into the distance before turning to her again. "Something that will get you into even more trouble if I tell you."

She snorted. "Do you think that's how to avoid answering my questions?"

One corner of his mouth lifted, almost imperceptibly. "You take care of the dragon egg, stay out of the rest. Believe me, it's better for you and for the egg."

"Another vague answer. Be careful, I might stop asking you questions."

"Which I should prevent at all costs, of course."

"Absolutely. After all, you don't want to upset the prophesied dragon guardian."

"And you don't want to upset the most powerful dragon fighter." His eyes took on a subdued glow, but it disappeared immediately. Instead, he nodded forward. "Better hold on tight."

"Now you're trying to distract me? That won't wo- AAAAAHHHH.

" The fire dragon zoomed toward the ground at breakneck speed.

It felt like they were in free fall. Ava screamed and held onto Lilly, who enthusiastically threw her arms in the air and let out a cry of joy.

The wind tugged at her body, threatening to push her off the dragon's body, but Kilian put an arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest, keeping her secure.

She wished she could have denied it, but she was glad for the support.

She held Lilly with both arms to keep the girl from falling, trusting that Kilian wouldn't let go of her.

And he didn't. Only when they landed with a gentler jolt than expected next to the other dragons did he release his arm.

Ava's stomach turned—thankfully she hadn't eaten for hours—and her hair was sticking out wildly from her head. Nothing remained of the pretty hairstyle Lilly had given her. "Heavens, who does this voluntarily?"

"I do!" Lilly threw her arms up once more and laughed.

Four riders, all dressed in dark leather, emerged from behind the waiting dragons. Their looks were skeptical and distant. Wait, weren't these the warriors who had accompanied Kilian to the ball?

Lilly patted the dragon's back with her flat hand.

"Thanks for the great flight." She swung one leg over to the other and simply slid down.

Ava followed her with her eyes and took a deep breath.

She should probably dismount too, before the dragon flew off.

But how? It looked easy when Lilly did it.

Ava didn't have a fear of heights, but..

. okay, maybe she did have a little fear of heights, at least when it came to climbing down this body from several meters up high.

"Do you need help?"

Kilian's voice sounded rough and close to her ear. He was still sitting close behind her. As his men's eyes were skeptically fixed on her, she became notably aware of this proximity, which made her move away from him.

"I can manage." Before fear could paralyze her, she swung one leg over to the other, sent a quick prayer to heaven, and slid down Lilly-style.

The momentum was enormous and the impact hard, but she caught herself before her knees buckled beneath her.

Apparently, the adrenaline hadn't completely subsided yet— she wouldn't have credited her tired legs alone for such a feat.

After all, she hadn't moved them for hours.

The egg was safe in the bag she wore across her chest, leaving her hands free. The little one hadn't spoken during the flight and had probably been sleeping. Carefully, she stroked along the curve described by her bag.

Kilian landed gracefully beside her, and his dragon immediately turned so that they stood in its enormous shadow, hidden from the sentries on the ramparts.

The dragon riders silently approached them and looked at them expectantly. Rob, who had not been a fan of Ava at the ball, eyed her skeptically. "You brought her?"

"It's our best chance."

Rob raised his eyebrows. "Here at the front?"

Kilian crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance, which might have been why none of the other dragon riders posed any objection. After all, he was the leader. "The king is keeping his distance, and that's all that matters right now."

"So what you suspected is true? She really has a.

.." Rob's attention shifted back to Ava and landed on her bag, as did the gazes of the other warriors.

Her cool, unapproachable aura wasn't exactly inviting, which prompted Ava to clear her throat and lift her head.

If she wanted to maintain control, she couldn't just listen silently as the men decided her fate.

"Yes, it's true, she really has a dragon egg. And she is present and possesses the ability to move her tongue in ways that produce sounds. Therefore, she can speak for herself."

Two dragon fighters smirked, and one of them laughed. "I like her."

Given his friendly face, round as a pumpkin, she could say the same about him.

"Who's the little one?" asked another, who was wearing a red cloth around his wrist.

"I'm Lilly, and it's only because of me that Ava knew to turn to Kilian. I hope we can count on your discretion. I probably don't need to explain how serious this matter is."

The men laughed, and Lilly indignantly raised her chin. Ava patted her shoulder. It was good that someone was standing up to the overly confident dragon riders.

Ava carefully observed Talus, along with its numerous guards. The settlement didn't look sleepy at all, but rather like a fortification where nothing happened that didn't inevitably reach the king.

"How do you plan to keep our presence in such a large city secret, not to mention the dragon egg?"

Kilian shook his head. "You're not going to Talus.

Rob and Allan will take you to the border of the old forest. There's a cave there where fire dragons used to breed.

The dragon hatchling will feel comfortable there and will likely hatch soon.

Once that's done, the dragons can take care of the young one. "

Just imagining parting with the egg caused Ava stomach pains. But she didn't want to think about that yet. "Why don't the dragons incubate the egg themselves?"

"Because only the dragon mother would do that. Or a dragon guardian."

"She's a guardian?" one of the men spoke up. "That can't be true. They haven't existed for two hundred years."

"The hatchling speaks to her, so there's no doubt."

While the looks on the fighters' faces had initially been distant, they now alternated between skepticism and disbelief. The one who had proclaimed to like Ava stepped forward and extended his hand to her. His body was broad and muscular, and he was armed with a sword and daggers.

"Hi, I'm Allan." He grinned, revealing a row of sparkling white teeth, and winked at her in a friendly manner.

His uncomplicated and open nature felt good and gave her a sense of warmth amidst unapproachable strangers and dangerous weapons.

Meanwhile, she blocked out the dragons that could open fire at any moment.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to utter a word.