Page 21 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

It was a good thing these questions were darting through her head like high-speed trains, because otherwise her body would have gradually demanded sleep. This way she stayed awake, observed the surroundings, and held down the fort.

At some point, she couldn't stand anymore.

She slid down with her back to the cave wall and leaned against the cool rock.

With her legs drawn up, she looked outside and granted her limbs the desired rest. Just as she was wondering when Rob and Allan would finally return with provisions, two shadows appeared at the cave entrance.

They had sneaked up silently—they hadn't spoken a word, hadn't set a single stone rolling.

It was incredible that Ava hadn't noticed them, even though she was on watch.

No doubt about it, they were seasoned fighting machines.

Good thing they were on Ava's side. They were, weren't they?

"We've brought you everything you need. Where's the girl?" Allan reached out his hand to her so she could pull herself up. As soon as she was standing, he handed her his backpack.

She nodded over her shoulder. "Lilly fell asleep. Earlier I thought something moved in the forest, but I neither saw nor heard anyone."

Allan let his watchful gaze sweep over the trees and bushes while Rob approached Lilly and looked down at the girl and the egg. When he said nothing and didn't move, Ava realized that he was seeing the dragon egg for the first time.

Driven by the urge to protect the youngling, she walked over to them and studied his expression. Perhaps there was disbelief on his face, but she couldn't say for sure.

"Did you bring something to eat? Lilly will be hungry when she wakes up.

" Ava said this in a whisper, both to make sure no one would overhear them and because she didn't want to wake Lilly.

But as Rob took another step towards them, the little one startled awake. Immediately, she was on the defensive.

"Who's there?"

Ava bent down and put a hand on Lilly's forearm. "It's alright. Rob and Allan are back."

Lilly rubbed her eyes and blinked sleepily. "Did they bring something to eat?" Her voice sounded high and vulnerable.

Ava looked quizzically at Rob, who pulled off his backpack. He took out a piece of ham. "Here. I'll give the rest to Ava, otherwise it'll all be gone in a moment." He winked at the little one. Did one corner of his mouth twitch?

She had guessed it. The girl could soften even the toughest men with a single look.

"All right." Lilly grabbed the snack and took a hungry bite. Rob handed the backpack to Ava. Though she'd thought the ice between them had been broken thanks to the girl, she'd been mistaken—the look he gave her was anything but friendly.

"The supplies will last for five days. If the little one is very hungry, maybe only for three. But they have to last at least that long because we won't be back any sooner. Otherwise, we'd draw unnecessary attention to you."

Ava didn't know if she should be relieved about this or not. The prospect of not seeing him again for three days had its advantages. "Okay, thanks. Is there a water source nearby?"

"There are several in the forest. You should only leave the cave in the dark so that no scouts discover you. Anyone riding a dragon can easily observe the entrance from the sky."

Through the forest at night? Great. Ava wasn't really a coward, but this prospect wasn't particularly appealing.

"Where is the nearest source?"

He pointed to the left. "Less than a hundred meters south. Follow the rocky slope, and you'll go right to it. It's a steady little stream, it will be enough."

Probably not enough for showering, but such mundane matters probably played only a minor role for the dragon fighter.

"There are also blankets, knives, and a lantern for safety in the backpack. I recommend you never light it. It's only for absolute emergencies."

Allan spoke up without taking his eyes off the surroundings. "Before we leave, let's do another round. I want to make sure no one has already noticed the two of them."

Rob nodded, Allan waved to Lilly and Ava, and the men silently left the cave. Lilly immediately rushed to the backpacks. Ava couldn't blame her. By now, she was so hungry that she would have even gone hunting or berry picking in the forest.

When she saw what the warriors had brought, she shook her head. A loving cook had definitely not packed the provisions. There was dried meat, dry bread, cheese, and morsels resembling cookies that didn't look particularly appetizing. Just the sight of it made her mouth bone-dry.

"Yummy!" Lilly grabbed a handful of the cookies and bit into them. They crumbled and gave off dust, and countless crumbs landed on her pants. But she collected them all and stuffed them into her mouth.

"What is that?"

"Butter crunches. A specialty from Talus."

Lilly's enthusiasm was convincing, so Ava reached for a butter crunch. She took a bite and made a face. "You could break your teeth on these!"

"They are pretty dry, but the good taste is still there. You just have to suck on them. Is there water or milk? Then we can dunk them." She rummaged through Rob's backpack, and Ava took Allan's. It contained blankets, candles, a lamp, two knives, and an empty flip-top bottle.

"Nothing to drink, but around the corner is the spring Rob told us about."

"We're only allowed to go there at night.

" Satisfied, Lilly pulled another bottle, wrapped in leather strips so the glass wouldn't break, from her backpack.

She popped the cap, smelled it, and nodded.

"Water." She took a sip and drank greedily.

If this continued, the supplies would only last for two days.

Ava said nothing anyway. If necessary, she would hold back.

She certainly wouldn't deny the girl food just to keep her own stomach from growling.

She spread a blanket on the ground, placed the dragon egg in the middle, and sat down beside it.

Lilly squatted next to her, already stuffing the next butter crunches into her mouth. "You can sleep now. I'll keep watch."

That sounded tempting, yet Ava looked at the girl doubtfully. What could the little one do if they were taken by surprise? If someone was already lurking nearby?

"What? Don't you trust me?"

"I do, but I'll wait until Rob and Allan say their goodbyes."

"Rob and saying their goodbyes?" Lilly laughed out loud.

As if on cue, Allan returned. Quietly and softly, he crept into the cave, and they only noticed him when his shadow fell over them. So much for their vigilance.

"No one is nearby."

Ava would have loved to ask him to check again or stay for a few more hours, but at some point, he would have to leave anyway. Maybe both he and Rob were already being missed, and soon they would be drawing attention they absolutely had to avoid.

"What about the spot where the branch moved?" What she actually meant by this question was: "Did you really search thoroughly?"

Allan waved it off. "There were deer tracks there."

He sounded convinced, so Ava had no choice but to trust his experienced judgment. Still, she remained skeptical, which didn't escape his notice. He placed a friendly hand on her forearm.

"If you weren't reasonably safe here, Kilian would have had you stay somewhere else."

At the mention of the dragon fighter, her pulse automatically quickened. She just nodded, while Lilly stood up and accompanied Allan to the cave entrance.

"I'm practiced at being vigilant. Don't worry, I'm here."

Allan gently punched her upper arm. "Good thing we have you on our team, Lilly. Take good care of Ava and the dragon baby. We'll see you in three days."

"Alright. Will Kilian come then?"

"That would be too conspicuous, but I hope you'll be happy to see me return as well."

"Of course. And now you'd better go. In the afternoon especially, there are a lot of dragon fighters circling around."

With a wink, Allan raised his hand in farewell and ran to Rob, who hadn't bothered to say goodbye and had gone ahead. Lilly and Ava were left alone. For three days in a cave, hoping not to draw attention to themselves from either that evil sorceress or anyone else. What could possibly go wrong?