Page 27 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

Ava enjoyed sitting at a proper table in a kitchen, lavishly set, without having to look out for potential dangers.

And Marcus delivered on his promise. There was freshly baked bread, its aroma wafting through all the rooms of the house, as well as homemade butter, goat cheese, fruits, boiled eggs, ham, and herbs—all food items made or harvested by the residents themselves.

She could easily see all the delicious food despite the lack of windows, because although no daylight entered the earth house, Marcus had countless lamps and string lights with tea candles.

The scent was heavenly, and the bread, butter, and even the goat cheese tasted better than anything she had ever eaten.

And she doubted it was just because she was so hungry.

Lilly felt the same way. The food was delicious and so plentiful that even she grew full.

And that was saying something. With her hand on her stomach, she leaned back and groaned.

"That was good! Where did you get the fresh eggs from? "

"Thom has chickens. He lives on the other side of the valley."

"Great! I'll go check it out right away." She jumped up and was about to take off, but Ava held her back. After years of self-reliance, Lilly wasn't about to start asking for permission. But she wanted to stay close to the little one in case they had to flee hastily.

"I'll come with you. I want to see the town too."

Marcus cleared the dishes into the sink. "I'll accompany you. I need to show you the cave where you can place the egg so it will hatch soon anyway."

Ava was all attention. Was he trying to separate her from the egg? "I won't part from it."

He smirked. "Where does all your mistrust come from..." he began, then nodded to himself abruptly. "I know, the dragon fighter warned you. Well, now I want to warn you too. He's making eyes at you, but why don't you ask him about his plans for the future?"

She frowned, perplexed. "What are you getting at?"

Marcus shook his head. "Just ask him, then you'll see if he's being honest with you." Since he didn't elaborate any further but just turned away to wash the dishes, she probably shouldn't expect any further explanation.

Shaking her head, she went to the bedroom to get the egg. She nestled it, wrapped up in the cloth, in her leather bag before going outside to join Lilly. There, the girl was leaning against the trunk of an elm tree, observing the inhabitants. It was a miracle that the girl had waited.

Ava briefly let her gaze wander over the people who, like Marcus, wore linen clothing and sandals. They all exuded a calmness and serenity that was reflected in their leisurely gait and relaxed facial features. She was immediately convinced that these people rejected violence.

"Hey, Lilly, do you know what Marcus was hinting at in the kitchen earlier?"

"What do you mean?"

"That Kilian was making eyes at me and I should ask him about his future."

Lilly laughed. "You like him, don't you? I knew it."

Ava shook her head. "That's beside the point. I'm not interested. In any man."

"All the better, then there's nothing for you to worry about. And now come on, let's go ahead. Marcus will find us anyway."

Lilly probably had no idea what Marcus had been talking about, which was a shame because she would have loved to have known. She didn't like it when people hinted at something and didn't elaborate further. Although the question arose as to whether Kilian hadn't already done the same thing...

The town had come to life, and the majority of the inhabitants were outdoors.

This wasn't surprising, given that no daylight entered the earth houses except for the faint light that came through the front door if it was left wide open.

But the high mountains and numerous trees already intercepted most of the sunlight, which was why it wasn't particularly bright in the valley.

Did all the inhabitants have as many candles and decorations in their houses as Marcus?

Without exception, everyone they encountered greeted them warmly and bowed respectfully. Word of who Ava was had apparently spread, because she kept the egg hidden in her bag.

The paths were not paved, probably so that the dragon fighters wouldn't notice the valley from the sky.

They were nothing more than trodden paths interspersed with stones and blades of grass.

Without exception, all the dwellings were earth mounds with front doors as the only openings.

Public buildings were located under large trees, although of course it couldn't be ruled out that councils met or meetings were held in one of the earth houses or another.

The previous night, she had already recognized that all structures were made of earth and wood and richly decorated, but in the daylight, the beauty of the city presented itself in its entirety.

Every column, every chair, every table leg, and every wall was adorned with carved reliefs depicting fruits, ears of grain, crowns, and cornucopias.

Leafy branches were embedded in the decoration, reinforcing the impression that the settlement had grown naturally.

Trees with thick trunks and massive crowns were essential elements of the urban structure, not just ornaments.

They passed a mighty beech tree, with several children sitting under the canopy at ornate wooden desks.

A woman in a green linen dress stood by the trunk, explaining something.

Each child had a tiny sandbox in front of them on the table, half a meter by half a meter, along with a stick to write in the sand.

"Have you ever seen the inside of a school, Lilly?" She playfully nudged the little one in the side, but she just shrugged.

"I can do math, write, and read, if that's what you want to know. My mother taught me." She casually brushed her neck.

"But what about your education?"

"Life on the streets is education enough. Want to bet I know more than most kids?"

That was quite possible, especially when it came to picking locks and other illegal activities.

Not to mention the legal ones. And at the moment, they didn't have time to think about this anyway.

Lilly apparently felt the same way, because she quickened her steps and excitedly pointed along the beaten path.

"That must be where Thom lives up ahead. I just heard a chicken clucking." She took off running. Had she really heard something, or was she just trying to change the subject? In a way, the girl reminded her of herself.

She followed her at a leisurely pace, looking around with interest—especially for exits, because even though the people were behaving peacefully, she hadn't forgotten Kilian's warning. Apart from the rock crevice they had used to enter the city, she hadn't discovered any portal so far.

Lilly's hearing was excellent. As soon as they rounded the next earth house, there appeared a small, fenced area under a chestnut tree, where several chickens were pecking for worms. A rooster strutted around, proudly displaying his comb and tail.

Right next to the broad chestnut trunk was a small wooden shed, presumably the chicken coop.

Even the boards of this simple hut were decorated with reliefs showing baskets full of flowers and crops.

A man, probably around fifty, came out through the narrow door carrying a basket of fresh eggs on his arm.

Lilly waved to him. "You must be Thom."

He looked eccentric but nodded to them in a friendly manner. He came to the fence, where Lilly was standing on the lowest rung, and gave her an egg. "That I am, and you must be the girl who arrived with the dragon guardian last night."

"That's right. I'm Lilly and this is Ava, the first dragon guardian in hundreds of years."

Ava extended her hand. "Just Ava is fine."

"It's an honor. Take good care of the egg. All our hopes rest on it." With these words, he nodded to them and walked to the earth house that stood next to the enclosure, mostly hidden by the chestnut tree.

They watched him until he disappeared through the door. Ava nodded towards the chicken egg in Lilly's hand. "He probably didn't mean that egg, did he?"

"Hardly." She jumped lightly off the fence. "Too bad, I thought he would tell us more about the city. What should we do now?"

She shrugged and said, keeping her voice low, "We could search the area for more exits so we can escape if there's danger."

The girl shook her head. "I don't think Elora's men will find the entrance to the valley. After all, the Old Folk have lived undetected for centuries. Even I didn't know they really existed."

"The danger doesn't have to come from outside."

Furrowing her blonde brows, Lilly leaned in closer. "What makes you say that?"

"Kilian advised me to stay vigilant. If they think I'm one of them, they might claim rights to the dragon egg and not let me leave."

"Makes sense. After all, according to legend, all dragon guardians came from these people. But you have to admit, they're giving us a lot of freedom. Even though they don't know us and don't want anything about them to be known, we're walking through the city alone."

"Hey, you two beauties," Marcus's voice sounded behind them.

Ava leaned towards Lilly, her voice a whisper. "Alone?"

Lilly just shrugged.

"I see you've met Thom." Marcus pointed to the egg that the little one was holding in her hands. Smiling, he turned to Ava. "May I take you to the cave now? The dragon child will like it there."

She would have loved to ask the unhatched dragon for its opinion, but everyone would hear that. Wait. The young one could see through her eyes and they were closely connected. Maybe the thought transmission worked both ways.

"What do you think, should we follow him into the cave?" she asked the dragon child mentally.

"It will help me grow."

Wonderful, it had worked.

Since the dragon child had no objections, she nodded. "Alright, we—"

Suddenly a man came running up, about twenty years old, carrying two bows and two quivers of arrows over his shoulder. He didn't wait to catch his breath, nor did he bother with a greeting.

"Get them quickly... to the cave and protect them... and the egg with your life." With these words, he pressed a bow and quiver into Marcus's hands and ran off.

Alarmed, Ava scanned the valley and the surrounding rock slopes for intruders. The adrenaline was already rushing through her veins, as if it had just been waiting to take command again. "What's going on here?"

Marcus looked after him, pale, with no trace of the mischievous grin. "Elora's people have discovered our footprints and have been in the vicinity of the rock entrance since dawn."

She looked at him in disbelief. "When were you planning to tell us that?"

He shrugged. "I didn't want to worry you."

"But I want to know about things like this!" Ava put her hands on her hips in agitation, while Lilly clenched her fists.

"Then your people must shoot down the masked ones!"

Marcus looked at the girl admonishingly. "We abhor violence, you know that, but even if we did... As soon as we attack them, they'll know we're in the area. If just one of them were to escape, our entire city would be in danger."

Lilly raised her chin. "Better than Elora getting her hands on the dragon egg!"

"You can talk about that later!" Ava looked at the surrounding rocks. "How do we get out of the city unnoticed?"

"We can't leave the city now! The mages are everywhere and would catch us immediately. We're only safe here. We need to get to the cave."

That was certainly better than waiting around any longer and arguing.

"Where is this cave where we can protect the egg? Does it have a back exit?"

"This way." Marcus led them along narrow paths past earth houses and trees. No one was outside anymore. Were they all hiding in their houses?

They reached the western edge of the valley, where a small entrance was visible under the protection of a high rock. They immediately ran inside. The cave was as spacious as the fire dragons' one in the old forest, but the entrance was too narrow for a full-grown dragon.

It was only after they had entered the rock cave and caught their breath that Ava noticed the city remained absolutely silent. "Are the inhabitants really all in their houses, or is there an emergency exit that was used to evacuate them?"

"Of course there's an emergency exit, but only members of our Council of Elders know about it." He avoided her gaze, as if he was afraid she might ask for its exact location.

"And what about us? If the sorceress's followers storm the city, we'll be trapped. We need to go to this emergency exit too."

Lilly's eyes widened as she nodded. "Otherwise they'll kill us and snatch the egg."

Marcus raised his hands reassuringly. "Don't worry, that won't happen. They won't even make it into the city."

A loud bang echoed and the next moment countless hooded figures poured into the valley. Although they couldn't see any of them, they could tell from the deafening roar that their numbers were overwhelming.