Page 32 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

Ava must have fallen asleep, because when she woke up, it was pitch black. Someone had spread several blankets over the dragon egg to prevent its glow from shining out onto the street, probably Lilly, who was lying asleep next to the egg.

"What were you thinking?" an all-too-familiar voice sounded from the living room.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Kilian.

Although he spoke quietly, she had heard him immediately. She had probably been awakened by his voice.

"Because we had no choice. Where else could we have hidden?" That was Marcus. He sounded indignant.

"Where's Ava?" Firm boot steps sounded, and the next moment someone yanked open the bedroom door. The faint glow of the candle Marcus had lit in the living room came into her room and blinded her.

She sat up abruptly. Kilian stood in the doorway, his massive body forming a giant shadow, which allowed her eyes to quickly adjust to the light. In two strides, he was beside her bed. His chest rose and fell as if he had been running.

"Are you alright?"

"We managed to escape Elora's men a second time. The egg is safe." She waved it off as if this had all been in a day's work.

Kilian glanced fleetingly at the pile of blankets the egg was hidden under before looking back at her. He ran his hand through his hair.

"You can't stay here. There are rumors everywhere about a dragon egg. Someone has betrayed the secret, maybe it was even Elora's men, to keep you away from the cities."

"Then it's good that we're here. No one noticed us and the house is empty." She whispered so as not to wake Lilly. The girl really needed to get a full night's sleep.

"No one noticed you?" He snorted. "There are hardly any visitors in town, so everyone knows about the strange couple and the girl staying within its walls."

"Oh." Now she did get nervous.

"Everyone saw that the man was shopping at the market in the late afternoon and entered the house of the old shoemaker who left town five years ago because he was too old to continue the business."

Ava turned pale. "They know we're here?"

Kilian nodded and held her with his dark gaze.

"But they don't know we have an egg. At least no soldier has come knocking on the door."

"They don't know yet, which is why we have time to disappear."

"Right now? But the dragon feels comfortable. He could hatch any moment. Besides, the egg shines like a spotlight. It would be noticeable if we carried it through the city in the middle of the night."

"How long will it take for people to make the connection between the rumor of the dragon egg and the strangers hiding in an empty house? We have to take the risk."

Did he have to make so much sense?

She looked at Lilly, who hadn't moved. The fact that she hadn't woken up despite Kilian's arrival spoke to how much she was gradually coming to trust Ava. He wasn't even being quiet this time. Or else it was just her body was demanding the sleep it desperately needed.

"Don't wake her yet. I'll pack everything and then we'll go."

"Every minute counts, Ava!"

"I know that, but she's a child. She shouldn't even be here." She stood up and threw the blanket to the foot of the bed. "If only she hadn't helped me, she'd be better off."

Kilian positioned himself directly in front of her, so she had to look up at him. His presence was stirring and her body began to tremble. "No, she wouldn't be. Just look at her. She hasn't slept this peacefully since she lost her parents."

His answer calmed her guilty conscience—perhaps because deep down she knew he was right.

"I won't need five minutes. Please give her this time to sleep. I know her. As soon as we wake her, she'll be ready to go."

His jaw tensed, but he nodded. "I'll take care of the food, you pack the egg and your things." With those words, he left the bedroom. He and Marcus began talking in the living room, but they spoke too softly for her to understand.

Quickly, she retrieved her leather bag from beside the bed, nestled the egg inside, and wrapped as many blankets around it as would fit in the bag.

It wasn't more than two. She would have preferred to take her clothes, but the blankets would certainly be more useful.

The egg's glow wasn't completely dimmed, but it wouldn't immediately catch everyone's eye.

As she looked around, she realized there was nothing else to pack. They had left all their belongings in the fire dragon's cave when the mages had first ambushed them and they'd barely escaped. So she gently shook Lilly's shoulder.

"Mhmmm?" The girl kept her eyelids closed.

"We have to go, Lilly."

On command, she opened her eyes and was awake. "What happened?" She was already sitting up and looking at the empty spot on the bed where the egg had just been. "Did someone steal it?"

"No, don't worry, I have it in the bag. Kilian has come. He says we've been discovered. People don't know about the egg yet, but they know we're hiding here."

"Okay." Lilly pulled the leather band out of her hair, combed through the thin strands with her fingers as best she could, and tied it into the usual high ponytail. At the same time, she stood up and walked to the door. "Ready." She had slept in her shoes.

They went into the living room. The men were there, each with a leather bag slung over their shoulders. Kilian was at the window, looking outside. "We need to hurry. In half an hour, the city guard will make their rounds."

Marcus raised his hands. "Then we should wait."

Kilian shook his head decisively. "They will storm the house tonight. Every minute counts."

Ava's pulse quickened. "This house?"

He nodded.

"When?"

"After midnight. We can make it to the former theater before then."

"You want to hide us in a theater?"

He just nodded as Lilly smiled at him approvingly. "That's brilliant! There hasn't been a performance there in years."

Kilian returned her smile without hesitation. They looked like allies, accomplices, long-time friends. An unfamiliar feeling shot through Ava's limbs at the sight, leaving behind a pulsing sensation that was completely inappropriate at this moment—and in general!

When she had to force herself to look away from him, she noticed that Marcus was staring at her openly. Her reaction hadn't escaped him.

She quickly set herself in motion before he could make a comment.

"Let's go then, or do you want to have a coffee first?

" She hurried down the steps to the store exit and waited for the others to catch up.

Lilly was right behind her, then came Kilian, and Marcus brought up the rear.

He didn't seem thrilled about leaving their hideout.

"Every time we change location, there's an increased risk of someone noticing the egg."

"This will be the last time we move before it hatches.

" Ava had peeked outside from behind the curtains and hadn't spotted anyone.

"The coast is clear." But before she could open the door, Kilian stepped up to her, took off his dark cloak, and draped it over her shoulders.

He came much too close, and his scent enveloped her.

"I'm not cold."

"That's not the point. Hide the bag under the cloak; it'll dampen the last bit of the glow."

She nodded, her mouth dry, as he fastened the clasp below her neck, securing the cloak in place.

She resisted the urge to place her hands on his, instead pushing the bag to her hip so that the egg's glow was completely hidden under the fabric.

But it was Kilian who briefly placed his hand on hers and looked at her.

His gaze was penetrating and attentive, with a barely noticeable glow in it, as if she were the infamous dragon fighter's chosen one.

Marcus let out an audibly noticeable snort, while Lilly was already about to open the door.

Kilian immediately turned around and gently but firmly pushed the little one aside.

"I'll do that." He opened it silently and slipped out.

When he nodded, they followed him, and the store door closed noiselessly behind them.

They could skip locking it, as everyone knew they had broken in there anyway.

On silent feet, Kilian led them to the intersection, and they reached the main street they had come from.

With a glance to the sides, he made sure no one was in sight and waved them straight ahead.

They crossed the cobblestone street, where a faint light could be seen in the distance.

The night watchman making his rounds. But he was walking in the other direction and didn't look over his shoulder, so they ran unnoticed into the opposite street and crept forward, pressed close to the house walls.

Through a system of inconspicuous alleys, paths between buildings, and abandoned houses, Kilian led them to the other end of the city without encountering a single soul.

Ava would have liked to ask him how much further it was.

From the outside, the city hadn't seemed so huge.

But she didn't dare to speak, for someone could have been standing at any corner, eavesdropping on their words.

They crossed a side alley where no one was to be seen and plunged into the shadows of the houses. Just as they were about to turn, with Kilian in the lead, a guard stepped out in front of him, holding a lamp that he shone in his face.

"Who's there?"

Kilian waved behind his back for them to stay in the shadows. At the same time, he stretched his body, towering over the guard by several inches. "Since when do I have to identify myself?" His voice sounded arrogant and harsh, completely different from when he spoke to them.

"Forgive me." The night watchman bowed, looking at his boots. "I didn't recognize you, Dragon Leader. Can I be of assistance?"

"Patrol the city walls so the mages don't infiltrate the city!"

"Of course." Without looking up, he backed away into the alley he had come from. Ava watched him go, puzzled. He behaved as if Kilian were the king himself and not just the leader of the royal forces.

When he had disappeared, Kilian waved them in the other direction, where after a few steps he led them into a wooden shed.

They went down a staircase into a cellar, then up another into the interior of an abandoned house, and from there they went through a back door into a courtyard.

A narrow path led to the next alley, where they once again plunged into the shadows and silently hurried south.

Though their only light came from the stars above, Ava still thought she could see the city wall looming at the end of the street.

Hopefully, that meant they were almost there.

The dragon egg in her bag was getting heavier and heavier, not because of its weight, but rather her worry that someone might discover it.

This worry vanished when they reached a wide, wrought-iron gate erected between two tall stone columns.

Kilian picked the lock faster than even Lilly could have and led them across a spacious courtyard.

The light of the stars illuminated a grandstand consisting of two wings, large enough to provide seating for all the city's inhabitants.

Leaves had collected on the tiers over the course of many years, but the aisles were swept clean so their steps didn't rustle.

They crept along between the rows of seats and reached the forecourt. Behind that was a stage, and next to that a staircase leading down.

Kilian signaled for them to go ahead. He was the last to enter the underground chambers. It was too dark to see anything, but Kilian and Marcus simultaneously found a torch, which they lit using flints.

With long strides, Kilian guided them through the labyrinth of chambers and corridors until they reached a spacious room. There were no furnishings apart from a table and several chairs, a dresser on the side, and two discarded upholstered pieces of furniture.

"Not as comfortable as your last domicile, but no one will find you here."

Ava looked around, glancing at door they had come through. "Are you sure?" It was an oppressive feeling to be underground. She immediately missed the sky over her head. Moreover, they would be at the mercy of anyone who might discover them.

He nodded. "Since the mages have been causing trouble in the area, no performances have taken place here. Besides, the theater is far enough from the residential houses that no one will hear you. You can talk undisturbed." He looked at Ava as if he had something specific in mind.

"And if someone discovers us anyway?" Marcus chimed in.

"There's a second exit. I'll show it to you later." While answering him, he didn't take his eyes off Ava for a moment. She looked at him, furrowing her brow.

"Later?"

He just nodded without averting his gaze. Although there was a gleam in his eyes, her heart clenched tightly.

"I'll have a look around." Lilly disappeared and inspected the neighboring rooms, even though she must have been dog-tired. Marcus, on the other hand, stepped up to them, unwilling to give them the privacy Kilian had implicitly requested.

"How do we know the guard we met won't talk?"

"I'll take care of him later."

Ava looked at him questioningly. "Don't tell me you're going to..." she made air quotes, "... 'silence' him."

A smile played across his lips. "Don't worry, most of them obey my orders." He threw Marcus an unmistakable look, but he raised his hands defensively.

"I'm neither in a chain of command under you nor do I see the point in it. But I'll give you some advice." He pinned Kilian with his eyes and pointed at his chest. "Tell her about your plans for the future! Otherwise, I will!"

Kilian stiffened while Ava frowned. "What are you constantly hinting at, Marcus?"

He snorted and watched Kilian as if he distrusted him. "The oh-so-popular dragon fighter can tell you that himself." With those words, he went out and left them with the desired privacy—only Ava wasn't sure if she even wanted it anymore.