Page 7 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

Lilly's eyes grew as round as saucers. Her hand with the bread remained suspended halfway to her mouth, and she didn't move until she suddenly started blinking faster and faster, her narrow chest rising and falling rapidly with quick breaths.

"That's a dragon egg!"

Ava froze. So her suspicion was really true? She had actually discovered a dragon egg? Even though she had already considered it, it was something else to hear the confirmation from Lilly's mouth.

The little girl looked up at her with wide eyes, but only momentarily, as she immediately directed her undivided attention back to the softly glowing egg. "Where did you get that?"

"I found it in... my world. Down by the river. It... called to me?" That probably sounded totally crazy.

Lilly stared at her before shaking her head. "Unbelievable." She leaned forward and examined Ava's find up close. "This can't be. A dragon egg. A real dragon egg. There hasn't been one in over a hundred years."

"That long?"

"Oh, even longer. Maybe even two hundred years!" She sounded genuinely amazed, but that didn't make sense to Ava.

"But I saw a dragon earlier when I first encountered the soldiers who are now chasing me."

Although the events of the last few hours felt strangely surreal, she could never attribute the enormous body that had caused that massive shadow to her imagination. She had seen a real dragon. Eager to see how the girl would react, she looked at Lilly. But the little one waved it off.

"There are some, sure, after all, we live in the Kingdom of Dragons. But no new ones have been born in hundreds of years."

Now it was Ava's turn to blink rapidly. "Why have I never heard of this country?" Even as she asked the question, she realized the answer. Because she had passed through a portal into another world.

And the chimney sweep knew about it?

She pushed that thought aside and focused on the vital heart of the matter. Everything was real. Stunned, she looked at Lilly. "How is it possible that no dragon has been born for so long if this country is called the Kingdom of Dragons? How long do these creatures live?"

Lilly stuffed the bread into her backpack, shouldered it, and stood up. "I'll explain that to you later. First, we need to take the dragon egg to a safe place. The king must not get his hands on it under any circumstances!"

Ava wanted to ask if it wasn't already safe in this underground room, until her gaze once again swept over the sparse furnishings. Perhaps the soldiers could locate the egg, and then she would be putting both Lilly and the unborn dragon in danger.

Restlessly, she stood up, clutching the dragon egg tightly to her chest. Was this why the voice in her heart had asked her to hide the egg from the border guards? She was overcome with nervousness and the concern that the matter was more complicated than expected.

"Why mustn't the king get his hands on it?"

Lilly waved her hand dismissively. "It's tricky. I'll explain it to you later, I promise, but first we have to get the egg to safety. That's the top priority." She pointed to Ava's handbag. "It's best if you put it back in there. It seems comfortable there and it's protected from prying eyes."

Comfortable?

"Trust her."

Easier said than done...

She didn't know the rules of this world, but if the two of them agreed, she would—she took a deep breath—she would just try to trust. She put the egg back in the bag and stood up.

"Where do you suggest it would be safe?"

Lilly furrowed her brow thoughtfully, which emphasized the seriousness of her childlike appearance. "It's best if we go to Ernesto. He's a tailor. He'll know what to do."

"Is that your father?"

The little one shook her head, a bitter twist to her lips. "I don't have parents anymore."

Her chest constricting, Ava looked at the pitiful camp anew, thought of the chunk of bread, and examined the lonely brass lamp. A realization came over her as she studied the starving girl. "You live here all alone?"

Lilly's gaze hardened. "Back then, I had a choice: die or go underground. As you can see, I chose the second option. Now come on. If the soldiers saw the egg, they won't rest until they've caught you."

Life had made the little one tough. Otherwise she wouldn't have survived.

Her heart clenched and she felt the urge to hug her.

As if sensing her intention, Lilly took a step back and turned away to leave the hideout.

Ava understood; she had reacted the same way back then.

After all, she was a stranger to the little one.

Lilly had probably learned to be careful and not to give her trust away lightly.

"Where does this Ernesto live?"

"I'll lead you to him." The girl grabbed the brass lamp and lit their way.

They marched through one cellar passage after another, here and there were puddles on the floor, then the corridors became dry again. They didn't encounter anyone, and nothing could be heard. Apparently, they were deep beneath the city. Still, they didn't speak a word to each other.

Lilly walked in deep concentration, and Ava didn't know her way around at all.

She couldn't rule out that a conversation would reveal their location.

Meanwhile, all the questions were slowly burning a hole in her stomach.

But she didn't want to scare Lilly. The little one was still a child, even if life hadn't treated her well.

Eventually, they reached a staircase. Lilly turned to Ava, her finger on her lips.

"Wait here. I'll check if he's alone." Her voice was so quiet that Ava could barely understand her. She nodded, and then the girl pushed the lamp into her hand and crept up the stairs. Her steps didn't make a single sound.

As Ava waited on the landing, she grew increasingly restless. Lilly's fate touched her, and the danger from the soldiers kept her on high alert. Nevertheless, her thoughts wandered to the glowing find in her bag, which she constantly felt against her hip.

A dragon egg. She had found a real dragon egg. And she was in a world where dragons lived and were part of everyday life. In a world where there was a king who posed a threat. Why else would neither the voice in her heart nor Lilly want the soldiers to get their hands on the egg?

It wasn't long before Lilly appeared at the top of the stairs.

With a finger to her lips, she motioned for Ava to come up.

Ava crept up the steps, her heartbeat quickening once again.

When she reached Lilly, the little girl took the lamp, extinguished it, and led her through a dimly lit hallway into a back room.

Bolts of fabric were stacked on a shelf, and on a wide table lay an unrolled bolt and scissors of various sizes. Measuring tapes, wooden rulers, and countless needles confirmed that they had landed in a tailor's workspace.

A conversation could be heard from the adjacent room. It was the deep, leisurely bass of an older man and the excited voice of a young woman. Ava couldn't see either of them, as a curtain shielded the passageway from unwanted eyes, but Lilly remained relaxed, so she too waited and listened.

"Thanks to you, I will be seen at the ball tonight." The customer let out a subdued squeal.

"You're always seen, my dear. Thank you for your trust."

"I thank you. You are a true master." There was a rustling, a shop bell rang, and a door closed. Shuffling steps approached, and just a moment later, an elderly man stepped through the curtain.

His hair was white as snow, but thick and cut short, his mustache danced on his upper lip, and countless wrinkles on his round face told the story of his life.

He must have laughed a lot, for around his bright eyes was a halo of lines that made him likeable at first glance.

He was dressed in an elegant suit that was tailored to his body, with a pair of scissors in the breast pocket and pince-nez perched on the tip of his nose.

"Good evening, Ava, my name is Ernesto de Ricardo." He smiled kindly and extended his hand, which Ava took.

"You know my name?"

"Of course. Lilly told me that you're hiding an interesting item in your bag.“

Ava cast a questioning glance at the little girl, who nodded encouragingly.

"You can trust him. I know enough delicate details about him that he would never dare to betray me."

The old tailor laughed, and Ava couldn't help but smile too. The voice in her heart remained silent, so she dared to comply with Lilly's request. After a fleeting glance at the curtain, she took the egg from her bag and held it out to Ernesto de Ricardo.

"So it's true." His eyes widened, and he stretched out his hands as if to take it in his arms. But just before he touched it, he pulled his fingers back and shook his head in disbelief. Only now did she notice that Lilly hadn't touched the egg even once either.

"I warned Lilly not to joke about such things, but apparently she wasn't joking. I should have known." He cast a loving sidelong glance at the girl before turning to Ava. "Where did you find it?"

"On the riverbank in... my world?" Sticking to the truth seemed wisest to her. In any case, it inevitably became evident in every conversation that she was unfamiliar with this world, not to mention how out of place she looked.

The tailor froze, but then quickly moved again, perhaps to cover up the reaction. "In your world, I see. And how did you manage to bring it here despite the vigilant soldiers?"

No one at home would believe her, but here other things were possible, so she stuck to the truth again.

"When the soldiers questioned me, a huge dragon appeared.

It roared. At first, I thought it was going to attack us, but somehow it seemed to be talking to the guards.

Shortly after, they let me go, albeit reluctantly. "

Ernesto raised his white eyebrows. "What kind of dragon was it?"

At a loss, Ava shrugged. "It was whitish-blue and big. And its roar was deafening."

With a knowing look, Lilly crossed her arms over her body, her eyes resting on the dragon egg. "So close to the passage, it could only have been an air dragon. After all, they protect the borders."

The tailor nodded. "It confirms what we suspected."

Ava raised her eyebrows questioningly. "What did you suspect?" Although she didn't know if she could make sense of the answer, she had to ask questions if she wanted to finally understand what was going on.

"The king has betrayed us all!" Lilly spat out the words with hatred, which made Ava prick up her ears.

Ernesto let out a reproving click of his tongue. "Watch your mouth, Lilly! Your words could reach the wrong ears."

"Bah! I'm not afraid of him!" Defiance was written all over her face, while Ernesto's expression turned serious.

"But you should be." He turned his gaze away from her and looked with interest at the dragon egg.

Like Lilly, he avoided touching the egg.

Was it possibly dangerous? She shook her head inwardly.

No, it wasn't. She sensed that instinctively.

It felt warm, and although the surface was rough and scaly, Ava enjoyed the feeling of holding it in her hands.

As if she were guarding a treasure worth far more than a whole wagonload of gold and precious stones.

Perhaps it was good that no one but her touched the egg. This way, she could protect it better. She didn't even know if she would be able to hand it over to them if they had asked for it.

Lilly snorted but didn't respond to the tailor's warning. With a precocious look, she ran her hand over her thin blonde hair and high ponytail. "We should show it to Kilian."

Ernesto scratched his cleanly shaven chin. "You're right. He's the only one who's trustworthy."

Ava stroked the scales on the shell doubtfully and pressed the egg to her chest. "Do you really think it's wise to let someone else in on this, just to ask for their opinion?"

Lilly nodded decisively. "Absolutely."

Since the voice in her heart didn't object, she wouldn't put up a fight. "Alright, if you're both in agreement, let's do it. Who is this Kilian?"

Lilly's eyes began to sparkle. She clasped her hands in front of her body as if in prayer. "He's the best dragon fighter of our time. He's won every competition and rides the strongest fire dragon that's ever existed."

Ava laughed. "You seem to like him. Do you know each other well?"

Ernesto chuckled as he patted Lilly's head. "She wishes she did."

Indignantly, the little one wriggled away from him and lifted her chin. "He tossed me a silver coin once!" She said nothing more.

Ava looked at her with amusement, though she knew well enough to hide it. After all, she didn't want to tease the girl. "Alright then, if this Kilian can help us, we should go to him. Where can I find him?"

"At the royal ball, of course!" Lilly clapped her hands while Ava's face fell.

"A ball? How am I supposed to sneak in there without the king's guards seeing me? Have you forgotten? They're looking for me."

The girl waved it off. "They'll never expect you to go to the ball, trust me. They'll be searching the underground passages, which means you'll be invisible on the surface. You'll be hiding right under their noses. It's brilliant!"

Shaking her head, Ava pointed to her outfit. "In jeans, a sweater, and a leather jacket? How do you imagine this is going to work? I'll stand out even among the waiters with my clothes. How am I supposed to blend in with the king's guests?"

A slight smile appeared on Ernesto's lips. As he took a step back, he made a sweeping gesture with his hands that encompassed his entire shop, including the bolts of fabric. "It would be my pleasure to assist you in that regard."