Page 24 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

Ava didn't know how long they had been walking. It felt like an hour or two. Fortunately, Lilly was in good shape. She didn't know any child who would complete a fifteen-kilometer trek in the middle of the night without complaining.

They reached a large rock formation where Marcus stopped and looked up. In the tree canopy beside it there glowed a pair of eyes.

Marcus pushed aside the hanging branches of a weeping willow, revealing a narrow passage in the rock. Dimly lit by starlight, it looked like a portal to another world. Which hopefully wasn't the case. This world was enough for Ava.

"After you, Guardian." He bowed to her.

Lilly, not bothering with courtesies, ran ahead curiously. Ava followed her, holding her breath. The air was humid, the passage almost too narrow for an adult. If her shoulders were already brushing against the walls, how was Kilian managing?

The passage ended after a few meters, and they found themselves under the open starry sky. It was too dark to make out details, but the contours of rocks could be seen on all sides. They were in a hidden valley.

"Wow!" Lilly's eyes widened. "The old city."

"Where's the city here?" It might have been the darkness, but Ava couldn't see any buildings, streets, or other city features, not even a light or a sound that indicated life. But then again, it was the middle of the night.

Marcus stepped through the entrance, a smirk on his lips. "It's well-hidden, of course, so the dragon fighters can't spot it from the sky." He regarded Kilian with a tilted head, his brown curls falling across his forehead. "You'd better keep a low profile, you're not particularly popular with us."

Kilian said nothing, keeping his eyebrows furrowed and looking around suspiciously. He stayed close to Ava, surely because of the dragon egg resting in her handbag. The little one hadn't spoken in a while.

There was a soft clanking sound from the brass lantern Marcus had in his hand. The light was too weak to illuminate very far, but at least they could see roots and stones on the forest floor.

"I'll take you to the Rotunda."

He walked ahead, making his way past lushly growing plants.

Bushes and trees grew close together, as if they were still in an ordinary forest. But apparently that wasn't the case, because with each breath Ava discovered more pairs of eyes, their whites appearing in the darkness.

A glance over her shoulder was enough to tell her that it wasn't just Kilian who was following her, but even more people were on their heels.

They followed them at a respectable distance, their faces hiding in the shadows, making it impossible to tell if they were as friendly as Marcus.

"We're being followed," she whispered to Kilian, who nodded. Of course, he had already noticed the people. Like a predator, his attention darted back and forth, missing no movement.

"Stay close to me with Lilly. If they're up to something, I'll get you out of here."

Vigilantly, Ava looked again at the residents sneaking behind them. "You don't trust them."

"You shouldn't either."

Ava couldn't help but wish she had a sword like Kilian's, even though she hadn't learned to fight with one. But it would at least be better than her bare fists.

Marcus led them to a beech tree and hung the lantern on the trunk.

The dim light fell on a ring of columns that were crafted from wood and intricately decorated with reliefs of grapes, apples, pears, ears of grain, and other field crops.

In the center grew an old beech, with the crown of the tree protecting the strange structure from unwanted glances.

On one side, rows of seats were arranged one above the other, similar to an ancient Greek theater.

Only this construction was made entirely of wood and earth.

"We're here. Sit down. The others will be here soon."

"The others are already here." Ava pointed behind them, where a veritable crowd had formed.

"I don't mean them. Come, sit down, make yourselves at home."

Lilly cheerfully jumped into the second row. Ava remained standing near her, her gaze directed watchfully at all those who gradually stepped into the sparse cone of light.

About thirty people, men and women of all ages, had followed them.

Even small children pushed past the adults, despite the fact that it was the middle of the night.

They didn't appear to be dangerous, though not necessarily as cheerful and charming as Marcus.

They looked at Ava like apparitions, whispering and keeping their distance.

They didn't display any weapons, and their attire also consisted of linen fabrics and simple sandals.

Ava smiled at them kindly, while Kilian, of course, positioned himself beside her.

Although he shifted his weight to one leg and appeared relaxed, the pose couldn't fool her.

He still held the sword in his hand, its blade reflecting the pale light like a mirror, and his roving gaze had lost none of its vigilance.

Without taking her eyes off the residents, Ava turned to Marcus. "Who are we waiting for?"

"For the elders. They will welcome you and examine the dragon egg." He sat down next to Lilly, bumping her shoulder in a friendly manner before turning back to Ava and looking at her admiringly. "We've been waiting for you for a long time."

She furrowed her brow in confusion until she understood. "You're talking about the prophecy."

He nodded. "One of our elders predicted it. Didn't you know that?"

She shook her head. "I only found out about it a few hours ago."

Marcus waved it off. "That's right, you're from another world.

The egg led you here. And that means the wheel of fate will now turn in a different direction.

" His open gaze was attentive, not to say flirtatious.

But that was probably just his way. "The prophesied guardian.

.. and then you're also so damn pretty."

Kilian let out a sound reminiscent of a growl, and Ava raised her hands defensively. This was starting to be too much for her. She didn't want thousands of obligations, and she didn't like it when the whole world set expectations for her.

"Now hold your horses. How could I influence the fate of this realm?"

"You already have." Two elderly women and two old men stepped out of the shadows into the circle of light, their eyes resting attentively on her.

The women had braided their snow-white hair into garlands and wore them like crowns on their heads.

This, together with their flowing, ancient Greek-style robes, made them look like venerable goddesses.

The men wore similar garments, along with long, snow-white beards that reached down to their chests. In their hands, they held slender wooden staffs, the tips crowned with an intricate weave, in the center of which glowed a glass sphere.

The eldest—the one who had spoken—looked at Ava intently before putting on a smile and giving a slight bow. "My name is Aurora. One of my forefathers was the one who crafted the prophecy, Dragon Guardian. May we see the egg?"

"You can just call me Ava." After a quick glance at Kilian, who signaled his approval with a brief nod, she took the softly shimmering dragon egg out of her bag. Since they had left the cave, the glow had become weaker, yet it still radiated a warm purple.

The other three elders came closer and now stood so near that Kilian positioned himself right next to her to ensure they weren't separated.

But the elders paid him no attention, as if his steely muscles and sharp sword posed no danger at all.

They gazed reverently at the scale-covered egg without touching it.

After a few breaths, a gentle smile appeared on their faces.

Once again, it was Aurora who spoke, looking at Ava admonishingly. "Being a dragon guardian is an honor, a title that will bring you great esteem."

"Thanks, but I don't care about that. Ava is enough, especially since I'll be leaving as soon as the little one hatches."

"What?" Lilly jumped up and stood in front of her, disregarding the fact that she almost stepped on one of the elders' feet. "You can't leave again. This is your destiny. You were born for this!"

Ava raised her free hand defensively. She wanted to make this clear once and for all. "I have other obligations. My aunt needs me and... You can't just decide that it's my destiny and that I have to stay!"

Aurora looked at her attentively. There was no harsh judgment in her expression, only serenity and foresight. Somehow it looked as if she was reading more in Ava's face than she was willing to reveal. "Have faith, Lilly, everything will fall into place as it should."

While Ava wanted to tell the elder that she shouldn't give the little one false hope, Lilly nodded wisely. "You're right. She'll feel it and then she'll stay. Now, I'm excited for a tour. And if we make a detour to the kitchen, I wouldn't object."

Kilian caught her by the collar of her tunic before she could run off. "Stay close to us. We don't know if we can trust them."

"Why are you so distrustful?" She looked at him incredulously until the realization appeared on her young face.

"I wouldn't have thought you couldn't feel it, but of course, life as a dragon fighter has hardened you.

You can believe me, the old folk abhor violence, so nothing will happen to us here. "

Ava raised her eyebrows. "If they abhor violence, who fired the arrows when we were attacked by the sorceress's followers?"

Lilly raised her index finger as if it were the ultimate proof. "See, that shows how much effort they've already put into protecting you and the egg. We can trust them. I can feel it."

Kilian raised his eyebrows skeptically and Ava shook her head as she watched the little one.

"What a character." She brushed the hair from her face and caught Marcus's gaze, who was looking at her with undisguised admiration.

The elders retreated, making room next to her, and he immediately took advantage of the opening to stand beside her. He bowed gallantly.

"May I escort you to your room, noble Dragon Guardian?"

Kilian crossed his arms over his chest. "To our room!"

Ava felt a fluttering in her stomach, but she refrained from looking at him questioningly or starting another discussion about being patronizing. Honestly, she was glad he was staying.

Eyebrows raised, Marcus looked at him and then at Ava, who nodded in agreement. Even if Lilly seemed confident and she also wanted to trust these people, she felt more comfortable as long as he was nearby.

"I wasn't aware that the most powerful dragon fighter was still available." The sharp look he gave Kilian left the warrior cold. He refrained from any comment, instead widening his stance.

With a charming smile, Marcus bowed to Ava. "Follow me."