Page 29 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

They reached the edge of the forest without incident. Before stepping through the tree line, they looked up at the sky. A flock of dragons hovered above their heads. There were red and white-blue scales gleaming in the sun, but Kilian's large fire dragon was not among them.

The vast landscape spread out before them, and they saw the towers of the city rising in the distance. If they had estimated correctly, it would take them just under two hours to reach Talus.

Before leaving the forest, Marcus hesitated. "Wait a moment." He took a deep breath and turned to a beech tree. He placed his hands on the trunk and closed his eyes.

Ava and Lilly exchanged a brief glance, and the girl shrugged. But Marcus had already opened his eyes again.

Curious, Lilly tilted her head. "Have you ever left the forest before?"

"Yes, but that was years ago, and I didn't like it."

"You can go back if you want..." Ava began, but he shook his head.

"I'm ready to play the role the old gods have intended for me. They didn't put me by your side without reason, Ava."

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

He just nodded and returned the smile, while Lilly was already pointing to the distant city.

"Let's get going already. Walking in the midday heat is no joke!"

Ava's stomach was gradually alerting her to the fact that it was empty, so she didn't mind as they finally left the forest. Now that the greatest danger to their lives had passed, her body was once again attuning itself to her everyday needs.

Unfortunately, there wasn't even a fruit tree in sight where they could have refreshed themselves.

And all the supplies that Kilian and his warriors had brought were in the backpacks they'd had to leave behind during their first escape.

Lilly became uncharacteristically quiet during the walk. She was probably hungry and exhausted too. As soon as they found a safe shelter, they would get some sleep. The escape and the exciting night had taken its toll on all of them.

Ava kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. "Do the sorceress and her followers all live in the old forest?"

Marcus shook his head. "It forms a kind of buffer zone between her and the kingdom. Her territory extends south of the forest. They've conquered huge areas and are responsible for the deaths of numerous innocent people. The dead weren't counted, but there were hundreds."

Ava was all ears. "The sorceress commands so much land?"

"You have no idea how good the mages are at taking things that don't belong to them." The contempt was clearly audible in his voice.

Ava hesitated for a moment, then dared to ask a question that had been on her mind for a while.

But she couldn't arouse his suspicion, so she chose her words carefully.

"As you know, I'm not from this world and have only heard fragments of your history.

So I wonder, are all those who can wield magic really evil? "

He snorted indignantly. "They are, believe me. They nearly wiped out the dragons."

"I thought that was this dragon mage. Just because one mage is evil doesn't mean all the others are, right?"

"Theoretically, you're right, but then the last living mages shouldn't all be running after Elora. She's despicable and unscrupulous. Anyone who gets involved with her and supports her goals deserves to die!"

Ava glanced inconspicuously at Lilly, who wasn't participating in the conversation.

To be safe, Ava ended the discussion and looked at the city walls, which were already clearly visible.

Armed guards marched back and forth on the battlements.

The towers were also all occupied, and at least ten sentries guarded the city gate.

Ava grew uneasy. "Will the guards demand to search my bag?"

Marcus hesitated. "I hope not."

She pointed ahead. "It's too late to turn back. The sentries have long since spotted us and are getting into position."

Lilly nodded knowingly. "And the stable next to the gates clearly tells us that their horses are within reach. They would easily catch up with us if we simply turned around. Besides, how suspicious would that be?"

Moreover, the city was their best option. Ava didn't need to look over her shoulder to remember how narrowly they had escaped Elora's followers. Twice.

"Just be relaxed and talk," Lilly urged them.

"If we act casual, we won't be conspicuous.

" On cue, she laughed exuberantly and slapped Ava on the upper arm.

She said, her voice louder now, "Man, that was really funny.

Next time I'll go first so you don't trip over your own feet again.

" With an unmistakable look, she admonished Ava to play along.

"Then you should stop telling me so many jokes so I can concentrate better on the path."

Lilly laughed loudly as they reached the city gates, and it even sounded convincing somehow. She slapped Ava on the shoulder again, ignoring the guards. "That was really funny. But now I'm looking forward to a few relaxing days."

Ava became more tense. If the guards looked in her bag, it would be over.

Therefore, they must not arouse their suspicion under any circumstances.

As nonchalantly as possible, she looked at Marcus, as if she didn't notice the sentries' attentive glances.

"Are we going straight to your parents to talk about the weekend? "

He grinned. "To tell them about our engagement? Absolutely." He quickly leaned forward and tried to kiss her, but Ava turned her head to the side just in time, so it was just a kiss on the cheek. To be safe, she hugged him briefly so their cover wouldn't be blown.

Before they reached the city gate, the guards blocked their way. "Who are you?"

Somehow the scene seemed familiar to her.

Lilly pointed to Marcus. "This is my uncle, who has come to visit with his future wife."

"Isn't she enchanting?" Marcus shamelessly took advantage of the opportunity, grasping Ava's hand, and planting another kiss on her cheek before nodding nonchalantly to the guards. But they didn't move aside.

"What do you have in the bag?"

Ava felt the dragon child's unease, yet she managed to give her voice a confident tone. "A change of clothes." That wasn't even a lie.

When the guard still reached out his hand, Lilly practically clawed at Ava's arm, and Marcus's grip tightened.

Before Ava could figure out how to get out of the situation, one of the guards grabbed her bag, yanked it towards himself, and ripped it open, even though it was still dangling from Ava's forearm.

It happened so quickly that she couldn't do anything about it.

She held her breath while Lilly inhaled deeply, ready to hurl who knows what at the soldiers' heads, but the guard had already let go of her bag. "You may pass."

Ava hesitated in disbelief, but Lilly immediately pulled her forward, causing Marcus to move along as well, still holding Ava's hand. Once they were out of earshot of the guards, Ava leaned towards Lilly.

"What just happened?"

"How should I know? The egg must have done it. It hid itself."

"How? It glows so brightly that you can see its light as soon as the bag is open."

To her surprise, it was Marcus who answered. "Have you forgotten? Dragons possess magic. It protected itself. That's how we got out of the cave too. Now come on. If we wander around aimlessly, we'll attract attention."

Ava discreetly studied Lilly from the side, but the girl was looking around innocently and didn't even so much as steal a glance in her direction. In the end, it didn't matter how they had managed it; the main thing was that no one had noticed the egg.

Talus wasn't as busy as the city where the king resided. Who could blame them? If this was an outpost in the fight against the mages, hardly anyone would want to move here or spend their vacation in this provincial town.

The displays in the shops were noticeably emptier than in the king's residential city, some businesses were closed, and the shop windows were covered with fabric.

The only ones who had their shops open were a cobbler, a baker, a tailor, and—at the end of the street—a blacksmith, whose constant hammering pierced through the midday heat.

Marcus pointed to the blacksmith's shop. "I know the owner, let's say hello. Maybe he knows where we can stay."

But Lilly immediately pulled them in the other direction. "Have you forgotten? We can't draw attention to ourselves. If you really want to visit him, do it without us. But first, we need an abandoned warehouse, a cellar, or—"

Ava nodded towards a side alley where all the shops seemed to be empty. "...or an abandoned store?"

Lilly's eyes lit up. "Brilliant! Preferably a bakery!"

"I don't think they left their merchandise behind."

"You never know."

They grinned at each other and turned into the side street. Marcus followed them hesitantly. If he continued to look around so uncertainly, it would only be a matter of time before the city guards questioned them. Far from agreeing with the plan, he shook his head.

"We need to be careful. Maybe the residents no longer run the shop but still live upstairs."

"We'll figure that out. The sooner we get off the street, the better." Ava wouldn't let him unsettle her.

Lilly pointed to his outfit. "Besides, you completely stand out in your clothes and sandals!"

Ava had to agree with her. Most of the townspeople wore leather or thicker fabrics; at least no one else was walking around in sandals. But Marcus just shook his head.

"Which I absolutely can't understand. Leather is so uncomfortable and thick. I love it when the air brushes over my skin."

Without participating in the conversation, Ava carefully examined the shops in the alley, which stood wall to wall.

There wasn't a soul to be seen anywhere.

When she tilted her head back to look at the upper floors, she felt hopeful.

All the windows were covered with curtains, with no one peeking out from behind the fabrics.