Page 6 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

She reached the broad city gate without being caught by the soldiers or seeing any other dragons. She would have said it had just been her imagination if her knees didn't still feel like jelly.

She had hidden her discovery in her leather bag. She didn't know where to take it to keep it safe, but a city was probably a good start.

The guards at the gates eyed her suspiciously but let her pass. It was good that she no longer held the object in her hands, otherwise the sentries might have questioned her about it and detained her as well.

Who could she give it to so that whatever was inside it and speaking to her would be safe?

Whatever was inside it and speaking to her...

Scale-like structures on the surface...

An intense glow...

A thought came to her—at first it was quiet, but it grew louder with each breath. Could this strange stone possibly have been a dragon egg?

No, that couldn't be. How could this dragon egg have come into her world? She could say with certainty that there was no magic or dragons in the small town where she lived with Helen.

Aunt Helen... Hopefully she wasn't really worried because Ava had stayed out longer than usual. But Ava had to secure her discovery first, because the overwhelming feeling in her heart left her no other choice.

She entered the city and was immediately greeted by lively hustle and bustle.

There were three-story, half-timbered houses lined up wall-to-wall, with one shop after another on the ground floors.

She saw a tailor urging his shop assistant to brush off the mannequin's trousers and doublet, a satisfied customer leaving the neighboring shop with a basket full of various jars peeking out, and then, in the shop window next door, someone balancing on a chair to hang up a flower garland.

On the opposite side, a huckster called out in a powerful voice, "Combs and brushes, made from high-quality hair," and the oval sign of the neighboring business announced that a mirror maker offered his wares there.

Ava passed one shop after another, looking curiously and careful not to twist an ankle in her mid-heeled boots on the uneven cobblestones.

The street, as well as the architecture, reminded her of old towns from her world, except that people wore old-fashioned clothing and apparently had no interest in technology.

There were no phones or tablets anywhere, no televisions or radios, and not even the street lamps seemed to run on electricity.

Eventually, the goods sellers gave way to food shops. There was cheese, meat, vegetables and fruit, baked goods, and the finest cakes. But the displays were mostly empty, perhaps because it was evening and the first owners were closing their shops.

"Turn off quickly!"

Alarmed, Ava paused and looked around. As she turned, her heart sank. Two soldiers were riding through the city gates, one talking to the guards, another eyeing all passersby critically. As he slowly turned his attention in her direction, she recognized him even in profile.

It was the captain who had sworn to remember her face.

Before he noticed her, she turned into the next side alley and ran along the narrow street.

The houses stood so close together that it was darker there.

There were also no shops, only residential houses, so no customers were crowding around.

And nobody was outside since the inhabitants were all at work or indoors, meaning there was no crowd into which she could disappear.

Ava took to her heels and ran as fast as she could before the captain discovered her. She would have to reach the end of the street or at least an intersection before he looked into the alley. It was her only chance.

"Hurry, he's almost here," whispered the voice that had nestled into her heartbeat.

Frantically, she looked around for an escape route or hiding place, but the doors to the houses were locked and nowhere did a narrow path lead off to the sides.

There wasn't even a garbage can she could crouch behind or a garden fence she could jump over, and the houses lined up wall to wall and left no space in between, as if they had allied themselves with the guards.

"Where can I go?"

"I don't know, but hurry!"

"There she is!" the dreaded voice rang out.

Ava didn't need to turn around to know that the captain had spotted her. All the same, she looked over her shoulder. He was up on his horse, galloping into the side alley as if she were a dangerous criminal who had to be caught at all costs.

"Help!" she screamed, although she didn't know if any citizen would dare to stand up to the king's men.

Nothing stirred. She was on her own.

She ran down the alley at breakneck speed. She reached an intersection and turned into the side street. Everything was deserted there too, and there was no hiding place in sight, so she had only gained seconds.

But seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

The thunder of horse hooves echoed off the walls of the houses, the reins cracked against the horse's body, and the captain's harsh voice boomed through the streets. "Don't think you can escape me!"

Feverishly, Ava looked around without stopping. There had to be a place where she could hide. She rattled the first front door, but it was locked. She tugged at the next, but that one remained closed too.

"Help!"

No one reacted. Not a single person came to at least see what was going on.

"Hurry!" the voice whispered, although there was no escape.

It was only a matter of time before she fell into the soldier's hands.

Her gaze went up to the sky, but this time no dragon appeared to distract the captain.

Still, she couldn't give up and wait until the soldier came.

Without heading for another door, she raced through the alley, hearing the hoofbeats coming inexorably closer.

"Stop, woman!"

The leader had reached the side alley and she came back into his field of vision. Panicked, she looked back. His cold eyes boded nothing good. What he would do with the supposed dragon egg was a whole different question. She had to protect it.

The hoofbeats echoed close behind her, he would catch her any moment. But she reached the next intersection before he could grab her. She raced around the corner, screaming once more: "HELP!" Maybe someone would show mercy after all. Maybe... maybe...

Hands seized her and yanked her through a door. Before she could comprehend what was happening or see who was helping her, everything went pitch black.

"Come with me," whispered a voice that sounded gentle, similar to the one from the egg. Was it the same? A hand slipped into hers and pulled her through the darkness.

Pumped full of adrenaline, she followed her helper.

She could hardly believe her luck. She wasn't the type of woman to wait for a prince on a white horse, but in this situation, she was more than happy for someone to have come to her rescue.

However, if she was interpreting the loud noises outside correctly, they hadn't completely escaped the captain yet.

They raced quickly through the darkness.

She bumped her forehead against the ceiling but bit back a cry of pain.

The passage became lower and narrower, forcing her to remain hunched over as they pressed forward.

The path was dusty, but she suppressed the urge to cough, as the loud skidding of hooves on stone could only mean one thing: The soldier was reining in his horse nearby.

"She must be somewhere around here. I'll find you. Better come out, or you'll regret it!"

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead as she raced through the darkness. She couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face, but her helper knew the way well.

The captain stopped and the noises from outside fell silent, causing her and her rescuer to stop as well.

Without discussing it, they remained motionless where they were, breathing slowly and not moving even a finger.

Yet the stranger's hand remained in Ava's, calm and composed, as if this person had done this before. The touch radiated trust.

Her nerves at their breaking point, she listened for the soldier and for any sound coming from his direction. More hoofbeats sounded, and a second soldier jumped off his horse.

"Where did she go?"

"Someone must have helped her. As soon as I find out who it was, I'll have them hanged. Did you hear that? Bring her here, or you'll find out what I'm made of!"

Ava turned pale. She didn't want her helper to put themselves in mortal danger, but she had even less of a desire to be handed over.

But her rescuer, whose silhouette she couldn't even see, didn't consider reacting to the threat.

Whoever it was remained still in the darkness, pressed close to Ava.

She felt the warmth emanating from this person, or maybe it was from this potential dragon egg?

When steady footsteps were to be heard on the street, Ava breathed a sigh of relief. Surely the soldiers were searching the area and finally moving on. But a few moments later, loud rattling, scraping, and hammering sounds echoed.

The men were breaking down doors.

She looked over her shoulder in horror. A beam of light penetrated the secret passage.

It blinded her, causing her to quickly turn her face away.

Searching for help, she looked around for her rescuer, who surely had a solution at hand.

But when she caught sight of this person, her heart nearly stopped.

Her unknown helper wasn't an experienced underground fighter who could take on soldiers. Not a seasoned man with scars on his face or oversized muscles that promised to fear no fight and keep any attacker away from her. No, standing before her was a young girl, no more than ten years old.

The little one had tied her blonde hair back in a high ponytail, she was thin, not to say malnourished, and was wearing worn-out clothes. Her blue eyes appeared enormous in her narrow face. She put her finger to her lips in warning, beckoned Ava to come along, and held her hand tightly.

A girl was helping her against the king's men, while no one else dared to lift a finger. Who was this child? What was she doing in this dark underground passage?

Ava stopped the rush of questions flooding her mind and resisted the urge to voice them. She would get answers later, as any sound now threatened to betray them. First, they had to escape the uniformed men, especially since the little one was no more of a seasoned fighter than she was.

They continued on tiptoe, although the splintering of wood behind them suggested they should be running. But then their steps would be too loud, and the soldiers would know they were really hiding in this passage.

The girl remained calm, moving as swiftly as a mouse and scurrying sure-footedly through the damp corridor.

The beam of light grew brighter, allowing them to easily make out the cellar passage.

After a few steps, they reached an intersection.

The girl pulled her resolutely to the left, where after a few meters they came to a door.

It was secured with a padlock, but the little one pulled something out of her pants pocket, there was a click, and the door sprang open.

The little one slipped through, Ava followed her into the passage beyond, and they closed the door behind them, finding themselves once again in absolute darkness. A click indicated that the girl had locked the door.

"Now we're safe, but we should keep going anyway. They might break down the door." Her voice sounded soft and high-pitched. Why hadn't she immediately noticed it belonged to a child?

Ava nodded, until she remembered the little one couldn't see that. "Okay. Thank you for your help."

The girl had already taken her hand again and, despite the darkness, was leading her purposefully through the labyrinth. Did the people in this country possibly possess special abilities, and could the little one see in the dark?

The voices and clamor of the soldiers gradually faded away. But the little one seemed unwilling to take any risks, as she led Ava on without pause, for what felt like an hour, until she stopped, released her hand from Ava's, and lit a simple brass lantern.

The light traveled across the floor up the walls, illuminating a room that was barely large enough for them to take two steps in. On the opposite side was a meager bed consisting of a pile of straw, a blanket, and a backpack, which the girl immediately grabbed.

Ava stood there uncertainly. She had no experience with children and even less experience with underground cellars, soldiers chasing her, and a strange find in her bag. "Thank you. Without your help, they would have caught me."

The little one waved it off casually. "Don't mention it. Those bastards show no mercy and wait for no explanation."

She sounded precocious and hardened, not how a girl her age should sound.

She watched attentively as the little girl rummaged through her backpack. "My name is Ava. Who are you?"

The girl pulled out a chunk of bread, broke off a piece, and handed it to Ava, even though she was so scrawny it looked like the whole loaf wouldn't be enough to satisfy her hunger.

"Just call me Lilly. Why were the soldiers chasing you?

Did you steal something?" She said it matter-of-factly, as if there wasn't anything wrong with that.

Ava gratefully declined the food. Better for the little one to put some meat on her bones, even if Giovanni's gnocchi no longer provided much fuel. Instead, she had discovered a new energy source: adrenaline. The levels in her blood probably wouldn't drop until she was back home.

"The captain isn't chasing me because I stole anything..." She hesitated. If she could trust anyone in this strange world, it was probably this girl who had saved her. This girl who, despite her slight figure, dared to act against the soldiers' orders—unlike the other inhabitants of the city.

"You can trust her," whispered the voice, as if knowing Ava needed one last push.

Without further ado, she sat cross-legged next to Lilly on the bare stone floor and took out the object from her bag.

It glowed brightly even though it was still wrapped in cloth.

Carefully, she freed the glimmering object, and its purple light gave the sparse room a cozy warmth. She held it out to Lilly.

"This is why."